Utilizing

Physical
Change

Technology has come a long way in

creating materials and processes that
improve our way of lives and protect
our
environment,
particularly
in
manufacturing,
automation,
food
processing, and recycling. In many of
these developments, physical change is
at work.

1. Distillation involves reversible stages of phase

change. Distilled water, for example, is made by
vaporizing water into steam and then condensing
the steam back to water. This type of distillation is
called simple distillation because it involves the
distillation of only one substance.

a. Distillation is a method of retrieving a pure substance

from a mixture. It is one way of extracting the essence
of flowers in the production of perfumes and colognes.

b. Simple distillation of water occurs in nature as

nature's means of maintaining a balance. This is called
the water cycle. Liquid water is vaporized by the
combined action of evaporation and transpiration.
Water vapor forms clouds. When the clouds are cooled,
they condense back to water and fall as rain.

c. Distillation is also used to separate a mixture of

different liquid substances. Since liquid substances
have different boiling points, they can be separated
from their mixtures by distilling them at different
temperatures. This is called fractional distillation.

Purification of Drinking Water. Water pollution

in most areas in the Philippines is caused largely by
the general public in the form of domestic garbage
and sewage. To make water potable, it is treated in
three stages.

Primary treatment: This is the first stage, which

consists of removing solid wastes from sewage and
allowing the water to filter through the ground by the
cesspool method, which is a large tank dug in the
ground. Sewage flows from the house into the cesspool.
In urban areas where government and NGO support is
available, a more scientific method of primary
treatment is employed. Sewage is introduced into a
sedimentation tank through a screen, which filters the
solid wastes. In the sedimentation tank, much of the
suspended particulates settle down at the bottom. The
water is then introduced into a coagulation tank, where
most of the remaining particulates are coagulated by
the addition of chemicals. Then the sewage enters a
centrifugal pool where even the finely divided particles
are removed.

Secondary treatment. This involves the use of

bacteria to breakdown toxic waste. This is done by
passing the water through a biological filter bed, or
gravel that has been seeded with bacteria.
Tertiary treatment. The water is chlorinated to
kill the disease-causing germs that have

Food Processing. Cooking, seasoning, flavoring,

and preserving food make use of physical changes.

Manufacturing. Production of alloys, textiles,

plastics, emulsions, colloids, and other mixtures that
have
medical,
industrial,
and
environmental
importance involve physical change.

Recycling. Waste materials can be converted to

useful items by the process of recycling. This method
does not only provide economic gains; it also helps in
the protection of the environment.

Automation. Expansion and contraction of metals

in thermostats is probably the first type of automation
ever used to make life easier. Refrigerators, ovens,
electric irons, air conditioners, and fire alarms are
among the few appliances that make use of changes in
the volume of matter.

Identifying
Chemical
Change

Identifying Chemical Change

The only way of identifying a chemical
change is to determine whether or not a new
substance is formed. When the intrinsic
properties of the original substance or
substances are lost and are replaced by new
ones, then a chemical change has taken place.
There are, however, certain clues that indicate
the occurrence of a chemical change.

Change in color.
Tarnishing, rusting, and
bleaching are examples of changes in colors that are
indicative of chemical changes.

Change in odor. Putrefaction or decay of organic

matter, a chemical change, is often accompanied by the
formation of foul smell. Any change in odor is almost
always an indication of a chemical change.

Change in taste. The souring of milk and other

edible substances is also an indication of chemical
change.

Effervescence or the formation of bubbles.

Formation of bubbles from leaves of water plants is an
indication of photosynthesis, a chemical change. The
action of acids on metals and carbohydrates is also a
chemical
change
that
is
characterized
by
effervescence.

Exothermic and endothermic reactions. The loss

or gain of heat in most changes is often an indication of
a chemical change.
Exothermic processes

Endothermic processes

making ice cubes

melting ice cubes

formation of snow in clouds

conversion of frost to water

vapor

condensation of rain from water

vapor

evaporation of water

a candle flame

forming a cation from an atom in

the gas phase

mixing sodium sulfite and bleach

baking bread

rusting iron

cooking an egg

burning sugar

producing sugar by
photosynthesis

forming ion pairs

separating ion pairs

Combining atoms to make a

splitting a gas molecule apart

Any or all of the above changes are only

indications that a chemical change may have
occurred. The one and only criterion that
determines whether or not a chemical change
did in fact occur is the formation of a new
substance.

Evaluation

Multiple Choice Test. Choose the correct answer.

1. Which of the following clues indicate a chemical change in milk?

a. It has a sour taste
b. It has a foul smell.
c. It has a sour taste.
d. It curdles.
E. It produces some bubbles.
a. A, B, C, and D
b)A , B and C c) A, B, C and E d) All of the above.

2. What are the conditions for the decay or putrefaction of food?

A. oxygen B. bacteria
C. warmth D. salt
a. B only

b) A and B c) B and C d) All of the above

3. A red liquid is added to a yellow liquid and an orange precipitate is

formed. Did a chemical change occur?
a. No, the orange color is only a physical blending of red and yellow.
b. Yes, there is a change in color that indicates a chemical change.
c. Yes, the formation of the precipitate indicates a chemical change.
d. Not sure.

4. When a solid material was placed in a liquid, bubbles were formed.

What can you infer from the reaction?
a. A chemical change has definitely taken place.
b. A chemical change probably occurred.
c. Only a physical change took place.
d. Both physical and chemical changes have taken place.

5. Why is photosynthesis an endothermic chemical change?

a. Light is needed to produce sugar from water and carbon dioxide.
b. It occurs only in the presence of sunlight.
c. Heat is produced as a result of the reaction of the raw materials.
d. It needs occurs only in the presence of both heat and light.

Assignment

1. Name some examples of chemical change for each

of the
indicators.
2. What are the factors affecting a chemical change?

Thank you for

listening