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Chemistry Section A : Everyday materials and their properties

Part 3: Properties

We can use the properties of a material to help us to identify it. The property gives us information about the characteristics of the material. There are three types of properties:

  1. Physical: Appearance, conduction of heat or electricity, melting points, boiling points etc.
  2. Chemical: Reactions of the materials with other substances such as air, water and acids.
  3. Mechanical: Malleability, ductility, tensile and compressive strength etc

Properties definitions and examples
(available as pdf download)

Property

What it means

Examples
Strength-Tensile Strong-hard to stretch Metals
Weak – easy to stretch Elastic
Strength -Compressive Strong – hard to crush Metals
Weak – easy to crush Plasticine
Flexibility – (Bendiness) Flexible – easy to bend Metals, plastics
Stiff – hard to bend Ceramics, glass
Thermal conductivity Conductor – lets heat pass Metals
Insulator – does not let heat pass Ceramics, glass, plastics
Electrical conductivity Conductor – lets electricity flow Metals
Insulator – does not let electricity pass Ceramics, glass, plastics
Hardness Hard – difficult to cut or scratch Metals, glass, ceramics
Soft – easy to cut or scratch some plastics
Toughness Tough – difficult to break when hit Metals
Brittle – easy to break when hit ceramics + glass
Appearance Colour, brightness, shiny, dull, rough, smooth etc Metals – shiny

Glass - transparent
Chemical reactivity How easy or difficult it is to react with different chemicals Metals – some react very easily with acids and oxygen

Ceramics and glass are unreactive
Flammability Burns easily if flammable Petrol
Density Mass (g) per ml(cm3) Lead – high density

Foam – low density
Boiling point

Melting point

 Temperature: liquid to gas High - ceramics
Temperature: solid to liquid Low - plastics
Elasticity Elastic- returns to its original shape when forces removed. Elastic – rubber
Inelastic – does not return to its original shape when forces are removed Inelastic - plastics

Testing materials

We can use simple tests to identify which properties materials have and hence identify the material.

Summary:

Check that you know! (Link to Homework Activity 7)

  1. How to classify materials and examples of each type.
  2. Choose a suitable material for a particular function related to its properties.
  3. Know how to test materials simply to identify some of its properties.

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