Content Worksheet

Subject : Science
Class: VII Chapter: Physical and Chemical changes
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 Every day we come across many changes in our surroundings. These changes may involve one or more
substances.

 These changes are of two kinds -- physical and chemical.

PHYSICAL CHANGES

Activities ---

 Cutting a paper into a number of pieces.

 Crush a small piece of chalk into dust. Add a little water to the dust to make a paste. Roll it into the
shape of a piece of chalk.

 Take some ice in a bowl, melt it in sun and again freeze it.

 Heat water in a pan. Boil it and let the steam be formed. Condense the steam on a plate kept above the
pan.

 Hold a used hack-saw blade with a pair of tongs. Keep the tip of the free end of the blade on the gas
stove. Wait for a few minutes. Remove the blade from the flame. Observe the tip once again after some
time and notice its colour.

• Properties such as shape, size, colour and state of a substance are called its physical properties.

• A change in which a substance undergoes a change in its physical properties is called a physical
change.

• A physical change is generally reversible.

• In such a change no new substance is formed.

CHEMICAL CHANGE

Activities---

 A piece of iron left in the open for some time, acquires a film of
brownish substance. This substance is called rust and the process is
called rusting.

 A thin strip or ribbon of magnesium burns with a brilliant white light.

When it is completely burnt it leaves behind a powdery ash.

The change can be represented by the following equation:

 Magnesium (Mg) + Oxygen (O2) → Magnesium oxide (MgO)

 Dissolve Magnesium oxide in water and test the mixture with blue and red litmus papers.

 On dissolving the ash in water it forms a new substance.

This change can be written in the form of the following equation:

Magnesium oxide (MgO) + Water (H2O) → Magnesium hydroxide [Mg(OH)2 ]

Magnesium oxide is a new substance formed on burning of magnesium.

Magnesium hydroxide is another new substance formed by mixing
magnesium oxide with water.

Activity 2---

Dissolve about a teaspoonful of copper sulphate in a beaker. Add a few drops

of dilute sulphuric acid to the solution. We will get a blue coloured solution. Drop a nail or a used shaving blade
into the remaining solution. Wait for half an hour or so. Observe the colour of the solution. Take out the nail or
the blade and observe the change.

 We observe that the colour of solution changes from blue to green and the colour of blade or nail
changes to brown.

 Colour of the solution from blue to green is due to the formation of iron sulphate, a new substance.

 The brown deposit on the iron nail is copper, another new substance.

 Reaction :

Copper sulphate solution (blue) + Iron → Iron sulphate solution (green) + Copper (brown deposit)

Activity 3---

Take about a teaspoonful of vinegar in a test tube. Add a pinch of baking soda to it. We will hear a hissing
sound and see bubbles of a gas coming out. Pass this gas through freshly prepared lime water. Lime water will
turn milky.

The change in the test tube is as follows:

Vinegar (Acetic acid) + Baking soda (Sodium hydrogen carbonate) → Carbon dioxide + other substances

The reaction between carbon dioxide and lime water is as follows:

Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) + Lime water [Ca(OH)2 ] → Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3 ) + Water (H2O)
A change in which one or more new substances are formed is called a chemical change. A chemical change is
also called a chemical reaction.

In addition to new products, the following may accompany a chemical change:

 Heat, light or any other radiation (ultraviolet, for example) may be given off or absorbed.

 Sound may be produced.

 A change in smell may take place or a new smell may be given off.

 A colour change may take place.

 A gas may be formed.

Chemical changes are very important in our lives. All new substances are formed as a result of chemical
changes.

For example—

 Digestion of food in our body, ripening of fruits, fermentation of grapes, etc., happen due to series of
chemical changes.

 A medicine is the end product of a chain of chemical reactions.

 Useful new materials, such as plastics and detergents, are produced by chemical reactions.

 Every new material is discovered by studying chemical changes.

Some more examples of chemical changes ---

 Burning of any substance is a chemical change. Burning is always accompanied by production of heat.

 Explosion of a firework is a chemical change which produces heat, light, sound and unpleasant gases
that pollute the atmosphere.

 When food gets spoiled, it produces a foul smell due to chemical change.

 A slice of an apple, potato or brinjal acquires a brown colour if it is not consumed immediately because
of chemical changes.

 Neutralization of an acid with a base is also a chemical change.

Rusting of Iron

 Rust is soft and porous.

  The layer of rust so formed falls off from the surface of a rusted iron object, exposing fresh iron metal
which starts rusting.

 This continued rusting makes iron objects weak and ultimately makes them useless.

 This is one change that affects iron articles and slowly destroys them. Since iron is used in making
bridges, ships, cars, truck bodies and many other articles, the monetary loss due to rusting is huge.

 The process of rusting can be represented by the following equation:

 Iron (Fe) + Oxygen (O2) + water (H2O) → rust (Iron oxide-- Fe2O3 )

 For rusting, the presence of both oxygen and water (or water vapour) is essential.

How can rusting be prevented?

 Prevent iron articles from coming in contact with oxygen, or water, or both.

 One simple way is to apply a coat of paint or grease. In fact, these coats should be applied regularly to
prevent rusting.

 Another way is to deposit a layer of a metal like chromium or zinc on iron.

 This process of depositing a layer of zinc on iron is called galvanisation. The iron pipes we use in our
homes to carry water are galvanised to prevent rusting.

To summarise, we can say that rusting can be prevented by the following methods ---

a) Coating the iron surface with paint or grease.

b) Galvanisation

c) By chromium plating

d) By converting iron into stainless steel [Alloying]

CRYSTALLISATION

Large crystals of pure substances can be formed from their solutions. The process is called crystallisation.

It is an example of a physical change.

Activity to make crystals of Copper Sulphate –

  Take a cupful of water in a beaker and add a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid.

 Heat the water. When it starts boiling add copper sulphate powder slowly while stirring continuously .

 Continue adding copper sulphate powder till no more powder can be dissolved.

 Filter the solution and allow it to cool. Do not disturb the solution when it is cooling.

 After some time, we can see the crystals of copper sulphate. If not, wait for some more time.

Textual Exercises

4. When baking soda is mixed with lemon juice, bubbles are formed with the evolution of a gas. What
type of change is it? Explain.

Ans. The bubbles are basically due to the formation of carbon dioxide gas. On mixing baking soda with lemon
juice, they react with each other to form carbon dioxide (and other products).

5. When a candle burns, both physical and chemical changes take place. Identify these changes. Give
another example of a familiar process in which both the chemical and physical changes take place.

Ans. • Melting of wax: Physical Change

• Burning of wax: Chemical Change

Digestion of food is another example, in the process; food is physically broken down into smaller pieces by
chewing & also chemically broken down by enzymes in the saliva & acid in the stomach.

6. How would you show that setting of curd is a chemical change?

Ans. We cannot get milk (original substance) back from curd; also the new substance (curd) has different
chemical properties, taste, smell etc.

7. Explain why burning of wood and cutting it into small pieces are considered as two different types of
changes.

Ans. When we cut wood only its shape and size is changed and no new substance is formed, so it is a physical
change. But, when we burn wood, a new substance[ash] is formed which has different properties then wood.
This makes it a chemical change.

Extra Questions

 Define rusting of iron

Ans. Iron objects like iron nails, iron pipes, iron grills, iron railings, etc., when kept in moist air for a few days,
get covered with brow powdery substance called rust. This process is called rusting of iron.

 What are the conditions necessary for rusting of iron?

Ans. The two conditions , necessary for rusting of iron are:

 a) Presence of oxygen

b) Presence of water or water vapour[moisture]

 How does galvanisation prevent rusting?

Ans.The process of depositing a thin layer of zinc metal on iron objects is called galvanisation. It acts as a
barrier between air and iron. It prevents iron to come in contact with air and hence prevents rusting.

 Is crystallisation a physical change or chemical change?

Ans. Crystallisation is a physical change because there is change in shape and size i.e physical properties. No
new substance is formed.

 Write all the chemical reactions given in the chapter. Also mention reactants and products.[refer
textbook for answer]

 Write chemical names of the following substances: [refer textbook for answer]

a) Baking soda

b) Vinegar

c) Blue vitrol

d) Lime water

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