[Chemistry Class Notes] Examples of Chemical Change Pdf for Exam

Change in matter is one of the basic concepts of science. There are two types of changes, physical and chemical changes. The preliminary chapters help students understand the basic difference between these two changes. In this section, we will understand what chemical changes are and their properties. This concept page defining the examples of chemical change has been formatted by the experts of for the benefit of the students. Here, you will find the best definition of chemical change along with 20 examples of chemical changes. In a chemical change, the chemical nature of the reactants totally changes to form new substances developing new chemical and physical traits.

What is a Chemical Change?

We observe different changes in the form of substances in nature. Not all changes are permanent. The temporary changes where the chemical properties of a substance do not change are called physical changes. 

A chemical change is where the reactants are chemically altered to form new substances at the end of a reaction. Let us take a quick look at the characteristics of a chemical change before we head to the 20 examples of chemical changes.

The Properties of Chemical Changes 

The major properties of chemical changes are given below. 

• The molecular composition of the changes in the reactant(s) as they form new substances that are totally different from the parent compounds.

• A change in temperature is also observed in a chemical reaction as the molecules break into atoms or groups of atoms to form new compounds. Either energy is released or absorbed in a chemical change. When energy is released, it is called an exothermic chemical reaction. When energy is absorbed, it is called an endothermic reaction.

• A chemical change is permanent. It means that the newly formed substances cannot be easily changed back to the parent compounds by simply changing the physical conditions of a reaction. Hence, a chemical change is irreversible or permanent.

• There is a change in the mass of the reactants in a chemical change. Either mass is subtracted or added to form new substances with new properties.

Examples of a Chemical Change

Now that you have understood what a chemical change is and its specific properties, you can easily identify the changes occuring in nature and reactions. When ice melts to form water, it is a physical change as the chemical properties of water are not altered. In fact, water can be cooled down to form ice again very easily. When water reacts with an alkaline metal, it forms a base, and hydrogen is released. You can see that the reactants, water, and alkaline metal, do not exist in the product. The products, on the other hand, are entirely new substances that vary from the reactants.

Once you study some examples of chemical change in an elaborate way, you can easily find out the differences between physical and chemical change. In fact, you will also be able to relate to the properties of a chemical change mentioned above. Follow this page to understand this concept properly and use it to develop your basic knowledge of chemical reactions.

Let us consider a few more examples of chemical change in the next section.

20 Examples of Chemical Change

Once you have understood what is the definition of chemical change, you can proceed to the example section. This section will help you find out 20 examples of chemical change.

1. Rusting of iron in presence of moisture and oxygen

2. Burning of wood

3. Milk becoming curd

4. Formation of caramel from sugar by heating

5. Baking of cookies and cakes

6. Cooking any food

7. Acid-base reaction

8. Digestion of food

9. Boiling an egg

10. Ripening of fruits

11. Rotting of food

12. Fermentation

13. Lighting a matchstick

14. Firework explosions

15. Photosynthesis

16. Waste decomposition

17. Making popcorn

18. Formation of cheese from milk

19. Paper burning

20. Burning of candles

The chemical changes involving inorganic compounds show distinct changes in the constituency of the final products in terms of state, colour, etc. The chemical nature of the products will be entirely different from that of the reactants. The composition and decomposition of substances in a chemical change in the above article was properly defined so that the students of all merit levels can easily grab the concept and carry on studying the chapter without any hassle. You will learn these features elaborately in the related chapter.