Physical Properties of Matter

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What are Physical Properties?

Physical properties are all the properties of matter that do not involve chemical reactions.

The properties of a substance help us learn about it. Scientists study two types of properties: chemical properties, which are to do with how a substance reacts and changes into new substances, and physical properties, which do not involve changing what the substance is. Physical properties also help us define what the substance is.

Common physical properties that we consider for a substance, with examples, are shown below.

What are Physical Changes?

A physical change occurs when there is a change in a physical property of an object or susbtance, such as it s shape, state or temperature. A physical change does not change what the substance is. Physical changes are usually reversible changes because no new substances have been produced by chemical reactions. For example, you can freeze melted water to get ice again - you can get back to the original state fairly easily.

Physical changes are temporary changes because physical changes are usually reversible. The substance can be changed back easily to how it was, because the change did not create a new substance.

This is different from chemical changes, which do create a new substance.

Physical Properties of Metals and Non-Metals

Of the 118 elements, most are metals. Metals have several properties in common. Metals are:

Solid at room temperature (except for mercury), and usually have high melting points and high boiling points.
Able to bend and be hammered into shapes (this property is called malleability).
Good conductors of heat and electricity.
Shiny and usually silvery, except for copper and gold (this property is called lustre).
Dense - their particles are very close together.

There are only 17 elements that are non-metals (of the 118 elements known so far). These are usually in the form of gases, as they have low melting and boiling points.

When non-metals form solids, these are dull and brittle and are poor conductors of heat and electricity.

Physical Properties of Metalloids

Metalloids are elements at the border of metals and non-metals on the periodic table, that have properties of both metals and non-metals. Metalloids:

Can be shiny.
Are all solids at room temperature.
Are brittle (tend to break or crumble easily).
Have melting and boiling points somewhere between those of metals and non-metals.

Their electrical conductivity is where it gets interesting. They are semiconductors. This means they can conduct electricity, but not as well as metals. Their ability to conduct electricity can also be changed. This is super important for electronics! This semiconductor property is what makes silicon and germanium so valuable in computers and other electronic devices.

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