Which of the following is a chemical change?

A.
soil drying as water evaporates
B.
a rock eroding as the wind removes particles from it
C.
a solution of salt water being diluted as water is added to it
D.
silver tarnishing as the silver metal reacts with sulfur

1 answer

D. silver tarnishing as the silver metal reacts with sulfur is a chemical change. This process involves a reaction that alters the composition of the silver, resulting in the formation of silver sulfide.

The other options describe physical changes: A is the evaporation of water (a physical change), B is the physical erosion of a rock, and C is the dilution of a solution, which does not change the chemical identity of the substances involved.