Collision theory, theory used to predict the rates of chemical reactions, particularly
for gases. The collision theory is based on the assumption that for a reaction to
occur it is necessary for the reacting species (atoms or molecules) to come together
or collide with one another. Not all collisions, however, bring about chemical
change. A collision will be effective in producing chemical change only if the species
brought together possess a certain minimum value of internal energy, equal to
the activation energy of the reaction. Furthermore, the colliding species must be
oriented in a manner favourable to the necessary rearrangement of atoms and
electrons. Thus, according to the collision theory, the rate at which a chemical
reaction proceeds is equal to the frequency of effective collisions. Because atomic
or molecular frequencies of collisions can be calculated with some degree of
accuracy only for gases (by application of the kinetic theory), the application of the
collision theory is limited to gas-phase reactions.
Are you confused about the difference between chemical changes and physical changes
and how to tell them apart? In a nutshell, a chemical change produces a new substance,
while a physical change does not. A material may change shapes or forms while
undergoing a physical change, but no chemical reactions occur and no new compounds are
produced.
Key Takeaways: Chemical and Physical Change Examples
A chemical change results from a chemical reaction, while a physical change is when
matter changes forms but not chemical identity.
Examples of chemical changes are burning, cooking, rusting, and rotting.
Examples of physical changes are boiling, melting, freezing, and shredding.
Often, physical changes can be undone, if energy is input. The only way to reverse a
chemical change is via another chemical reaction.
Examples of Chemical Changes
A new compound (product) results from a chemical change as the atoms rearrange
themselves to form new chemical bonds.
Burning wood
Souring milk
Mixing acid and base
Digesting food
Cooking an egg
Heating sugar to form caramel
Baking a cake
Rusting of iron
Examples of Physical Changes
No new chemical species forms in a physical change. Changing the state of a pure
substance between solid, liquid, and gas phases of matter are all physical changes since the
identity of the matter does not change.
Crumpling a sheet of aluminum foil
Melting an ice cube
Casting silver in a mold
Page 1 of 6
Breaking a bottle
Boiling water
Evaporating alcohol
Shredding paper
Sublimation of dry ice into carbon dioxide vapor
How to Tell Whether It's a Physical or Chemical Change?
Look for an indication that a chemical change occurred. Chemical reactions release or
absorb heat or other energy or may produce a gas, odor, color or sound. If you don't see
any of these indications, a physical change likely occurred. Be aware a physical change
may produce a dramatic change in the appearance of a substance. This doesn't mean a
chemical reaction occurred.
In some cases, it may be hard to tell whether a chemical or physical change occurred. For
example, when you dissolve sugar in water, a physical change occurs. The form of the
sugar changes, but it remains the same chemically (sucrose molecules). However, when
you dissolve the salt in water the salt dissociates into its ions (from NaCl into Na+ and Cl-)
so a chemical change occurs. In both cases, a white solid dissolves into a clear liquid and in
both cases, you can recover the starting material by removing the water, yet the processes
are not the same.
Chemical Change Examples
List of Chemical Changes
Share
Flipboard
Email
PRINT
Examples of chemical changes. Illustration by Hugo Lin. ThoughtCo.
byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated June 01, 2018
Chemical changes involve chemical reactions and the creation of new products. Typically, a chemical
change is irreversible. In contrast, physical changes do not form new products and are reversible. This
is a list of more than 10 examples of chemical changes.
1. rusting of iron
2. combustion (burning) of wood
3. metabolism of food in the body
4. mixing an acid and a base, such as hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH)
5. cooking an egg
6. digesting sugar with the amylase in saliva
7. mixing baking soda and vinegar to produce carbon dioxide gas
8. baking a cake
9. electroplating a metal
10. using a chemical battery
11. the explosion of fireworks
12. rotting bananas
13. grilling a hamburger
14. milk going sour
Less-familiar chemical reactions are also examples of chemical changes. While it's not always easy to
tell a chemical change has occurred, there are some telltale signs. Chemical changes may cause a
substance to change color, change temperature, produce bubbles, or (in liquids) produce a precipitate.
Page 2 of 6
Chemical changes can also be considered to be any phenomenon that allows a scientist to
measure chemical properties.
Examples of Physical Changes
They are distinct from chemical changes in several ways
Share
Flipboard
Email
PRINT
Illustration: Hugo Lin, © ThoughtCo., 2018
byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated December 31, 2018
Physical changes involve states of matter and energy. No new substance is created during a physical
change, although the matter takes a different form. The size, shape, and color of matter may change.
Physical changes occur when substances are mixed but don't chemically react.
How to Identify a Physical Change
One way to identify a physical change is that such a change may be reversible, especially a phase
change. For example, if you freeze water into an ice cube, you can melt it into the water again. Ask
yourself:
Is the change reversible? Not all physical changes are easy to reverse.
Was there a color change (with exceptions), bubble formation, or formation of a precipitate?
These are all signs of a chemical change, not a physical change.
Is the chemical identity of the end product the same as it was before the change? If the answer
is yes, it's a physical change. If the answer is no, it's a chemical change.
Examples of Physical Changes
Crushing a can
Melting an ice cube
Boiling water
Mixing sand and water
Breaking a glass
Dissolving sugar and water
Shredding paper
Chopping wood
Mixing red and green marbles
Sublimation of dry ice
Crumpling a paper bag
Melting solid sulfur into liquid sulfur. This is an interesting example since the state change
does cause a color change, even though the chemical composition is the same before and after
the change. Several nonmetals, such as oxygen and radon, change color as they change phase.
Chopping an apple
Mixing salt and sand
Filling a candy bowl with different candies
Vaporizing liquid nitrogen
Mixing flour, salt, and sugar
Mixing water and oil
Indications of a Chemical Change
Page 3 of 6
Sometimes the easiest way to identify a physical change is to rule out the possibility of a chemical
change. There may be several indications that a chemical reaction has occurred. Note: It's possible for
a substance to change color or temperature during a physical change.
Evolving bubbles or releasing gas
Absorbing or releasing heat
Changing color
Releasing an odor
Inability to reverse the change
Precipitation of a solid from a liquid solution
Formation of a new chemical species. This is the best and surest indicator. A change in the
chemical properties of the sample may indicate a chemical change (e.g., flammability,
oxidation state).
Difference Between Physical and Chemical Properties
What Is the Difference Between a Chemical Property and a Physical Property?
Share
Flipboard
Email
PRINT
The volume of a sample are examples of physical properties. Flammability and reactivity are examples of
chemical properties. Siede Preis / Getty Images
byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated February 14, 2018
Measurable characteristics of matter may be categorized as either chemical or physical properties.
What is the difference between a chemical property and a physical property? The answers has to do
with chemical and physical changes of matter.
A physical property is an aspect of matter that can be observed or measured without changing its
chemical composition. Examples of physical properties include color, molecular weight and volume.
A chemical property may only be observed by changing the chemical identity of a substance. In
other words, the only way to observe a chemical property is by performing a chemical reaction. This
property measures the potential for undergoing a chemical change. Examples of chemical
properties include reactivity, flammability and oxidation states.
Telling Physical and Chemical Properties Apart
Sometimes it can be tricky to know whether or not a chemical reaction has occurred. For example,
when you melt ice into water, you can write the process in terms of a chemical reaction. However, the
chemical formula on both sides of the reaction is the same. Since the chemical identity of the matter
in question is unchanged, this process represents a physical change. Thus melting point is a physical
property. On the other hand, flammability is a chemical property of matter because the only way to
know how readily a substance ignites is to burn it. In the chemical reaction for combustion, the
reactants and products are different.
Usually, you don't have the chemical reaction for a process. You can look for tell-tale signs of a
chemical change. These include bubbling, color change, temperature change, and precipitation
formation. If you see signs of a chemical reaction, the characteristic you are measuring is most likely a
chemical property. If these signs are absent, the characteristic is probably a physical property.
Chemical & Physical Changes
Understanding Changes in Matter
Share
Page 4 of 6
Flipboard
Email
PRINT
A bottle breaking is an example of a physical change. Kolbz / Getty Images
byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated February 04, 2018
Chemical and physical changes are related to chemical and physical properties.
Chemical Changes
Chemical changes take place on the molecular level. A chemical change produces a new substance.
Another way to think of it is that a chemical change accompanies a chemical reaction. Examples of
chemical changes include combustion (burning), cooking an egg, rusting of an iron pan, and
mixing hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide to make salt and water.
Physical Changes
Physical changes are concerned with energy and states of matter. A physical change does not produce
a new substance, although the starting and ending materials may look very different from each other.
Changes in state or phase (melting, freezing, vaporization, condensation, sublimation) are physical
changes. Examples of physical changes include crushing a can, melting an ice cube, and breaking a
bottle.
How to Tell Chemical & Physical Changes Apart
A chemical change makes a substance that wasn't there before. There may be clues that a chemical
reaction took places, such as light, heat, color change, gas production, odor, or sound. The starting
and ending materials of a physical change are the same, even though they may look different.
Examples of Physical Changes
They are distinct from chemical changes in several ways
Share
Flipboard
Email
PRINT
Illustration: Hugo Lin, © ThoughtCo., 2018
byAnne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Updated December 31, 2018
Physical changes involve states of matter and energy. No new substance is created during a physical
change, although the matter takes a different form. The size, shape, and color of matter may change.
Physical changes occur when substances are mixed but don't chemically react.
How to Identify a Physical Change
One way to identify a physical change is that such a change may be reversible, especially a phase
change. For example, if you freeze water into an ice cube, you can melt it into the water again. Ask
yourself:
Is the change reversible? Not all physical changes are easy to reverse.
Was there a color change (with exceptions), bubble formation, or formation of a precipitate?
These are all signs of a chemical change, not a physical change.
Page 5 of 6
Is the chemical identity of the end product the same as it was before the change? If the answer
is yes, it's a physical change. If the answer is no, it's a chemical change.
Examples of Physical Changes
Crushing a can
Melting an ice cube
Boiling water
Mixing sand and water
Breaking a glass
Dissolving sugar and water
Shredding paper
Chopping wood
Mixing red and green marbles
Sublimation of dry ice
Crumpling a paper bag
Melting solid sulfur into liquid sulfur. This is an interesting example since the state change
does cause a color change, even though the chemical composition is the same before and after
the change. Several nonmetals, such as oxygen and radon, change color as they change phase.
Chopping an apple
Mixing salt and sand
Filling a candy bowl with different candies
Vaporizing liquid nitrogen
Mixing flour, salt, and sugar
Mixing water and oil
Indications of a Chemical Change
Sometimes the easiest way to identify a physical change is to rule out the possibility of a chemical
change. There may be several indications that a chemical reaction has occurred. Note: It's possible for
a substance to change color or temperature during a physical change.
Evolving bubbles or releasing gas
Absorbing or releasing heat
Changing color
Releasing an odor
Inability to reverse the change
Precipitation of a solid from a liquid solution
Formation of a new chemical species. This is the best and surest indicator. A change in the
chemical properties of the sample may indicate a chemical change (e.g., flammability,
oxidation state).
Page 6 of 6
