A chemical property describes the process of a new substance being formed. A physical property describes the substance without any new substance being formed. Three students were discussing chemical properties.

Question

Student A: Silicon (Si) is a metalloid that has a high luster (shiny). It has an atomic number of 14. Its texture is hard, but it is very brittle (easily broken). Silicon is a semiconductor (It allows some heat to or electricity to flow through but not all). The descriptions of luster, texture, semiconductor and brittle are all chemical properties.
Student B: Iron (Fe) is a metal that is reactive to oxygen and water. When it remains in contact with them over time, it begins to oxidize. Oxidation is a process in which substances react with oxygen. As a result, a new substance, rust, is formed. The description of oxidation is a chemical property.
Student C: Copper (Cu) is a metal that is very malleable (able to be flattened into a sheet) and ductile (able to be pulled into a wire). The descriptions of malleable and ductile are examples of chemical properties.
Question: Which student best describes a chemical property? Be sure to write your claim, evidence and reasoning.
Claim: ______________________________________________________________________
Evidence: ___________________________________________________________________
Reasoning: __________________________________________________________________

Answer 1

Claim: Student B best describes a chemical property.

Evidence: Student B explains that iron (Fe) is reactive to oxygen and water, leading to oxidation, which is a process that results in the formation of a new substance, rust. The description of oxidation and the formation of rust as a result of the reaction with oxygen are clear examples of chemical properties.

Reasoning: Chemical properties are defined by the ability of a substance to undergo a chemical change or reaction, resulting in the formation of new substances. In Student B's statement, the focus is on the reactivity of iron with oxygen and water, which inherently describes a process that changes the substance into something new (rust). In contrast, Students A and C incorrectly classified physical properties (like luster, texture, malleability, and ductility) as chemical properties, as these descriptions do not involve any change in the substance itself or the formation of new substances. Therefore, Student B's explanation accurately captures the essence of what constitutes a chemical property.