Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:_____________________________ Period: ______
Physical and Chemical
Properties Lab
Background Information:
Matter, the “stuff” that makes up everything we see, can be classified in several manners. It can be found as a
pure substance, an element or compound, or a mixture. Each of these will, in turn, have both physical and chemical
properties. To investigate these properties of matter, a few definitions must be made.
Pure substances can either be elements or compounds. Elements are anything found on the periodic table. As
long as the matter is comprised only of that element, it is a pure substance. A chunk of copper, oxygen gas, a lead weight,
and a diamond (pure carbon) are prime examples of a pure substance that is in an elemental form. A compound is also a
pure substance made up of more than one element, as long as there are no impurities. Pure water, sodium chloride,
calcium carbonate, and aluminum oxide, are examples of a pure substance in the form of a compound.
Mixtures occur when two or more elements or compounds are mixed together. There are two types of mixtures,
homogeneous and heterogeneous. Homogeneous mixtures are when the properties of the solution are the same
throughout. Examples of this would be salt water, air, vanilla ice cream, and metal alloys like stainless steel.
Heterogeneous mixtures are when the properties can change, depending on where you are looking in the solution.
Examples of this would be and oil/water mixture, rocky road ice cream, and raw metal ores (metal mixed in with dirt and
such).
Each of these classifications of matter has both chemical and physical properties. A physical property is one that
can be observed without altering the substance. That is to say, it remains unchanged after the observation. Examples of
this include, but are not limited to, color, odor, phase changes (boiling, melting, and freezing points), solubility,
miscibility, hardness, and density. Each of these is observable without creating a new substance.
A chemical property is essentially whether or not the substance will react with another substance. For instance,
iron reacting with oxygen to form rust, and the fact that argon does not react with anything, are both chemical properties.
Chemical properties are observed in a chemical reaction and a new substance is formed.
Materials:
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
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
4 small plastic cups labeled #1 (Sugar), #2 (Corn Starch), #3 (Salt), and #4 (Baking Soda)
Vinegar
 Candle
 Popsicle Sticks
100mL Beaker
 Plastic Spoons
 Watch Glasses
Matches
 Iodine
 Stopwatch
Investigation Instructions:
1. Physical Appearance of substance:
Look at the substance. Write down your observations of its appearance, texture (you may touch them – it’s safe!)
2. Dissolving in water:
Place a half of spoonful of sugar in 20mL of water (use graduated cylinder to measure). Using the stir rod, stir the
substance to allow dissolving to happen. This experiment should be timed to see which substance dissolves the
quickest. Wash out your beaker in the sink and get fresh water for each substance you test. Repeat the same
process for the other substances.
3. Vinegar reaction:
Place a half of a spoonful of sugar into 10mL of vinegar (use graduated cylinder to measure). Record
observations. Rinse out your beaker in the sink and get new vinegar for each substance you subsequently test.
4. Iodine test:
Place a small amount of sugar, about the size of a dime, on the watch glass. Drop 1-2 drops of iodine onto the
sugar. Record observations. Repeat the same process for the other substances.
5. Flammability
Put your candle in some playdough to stabilize it. Light your candle and drop a small pinch of each substance on
an open flame. This allows you to see if there is a flash point for the substance where it would burn. A positive
test would be flare up of the flame. DO NOT THROW OUT THE PLAYDOUGH.
Data Table: _________________________________________________________
Solid
Substance
Physical
Appearance
+ Water
+ Vinegar
Date: _____________________
+ Iodine
+ Fire
Baking Soda
Corn Starch
Sugar
Salt
Mystery #___
Further Investigation Instructions:
After testing all of the 4 substances to identify their physical and chemical properties you need to obtain a small sample of
the mystery mixture. The mystery mixture is a combination of 2 or 3 of these solid powders you have been testing. You
will run the same tests you did before for the mystery mixture and based upon the physical and chemical properties you
identify you should be able to identify what substances are in the mystery mixture.
Lab Conclusion:
1. What substances were in your mystery mixture?
Claim: _____________________________________________________________________________.
Evidence: ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Reasoning: _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
2. Which investigations were determining chemical properties?
Claim: _____________________________________________________________________________.
Evidence: ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Reasoning: _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Lab Conclusion:
1. What substances were in your mystery mixture?
Claim: _____________________________________________________________________________.
Evidence: ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Reasoning: _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
2. Which investigations were determining chemical properties?
Claim: _____________________________________________________________________________.
Evidence: ___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.
Reasoning: _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________.