Chemical Properties of Matter

What makes one tool rust while another stays shiny? Or why does wood burn but iron doesn’t?

The answer lies in their chemical properties— which are traits that only appear when a substance transforms into something new.

Take iron, for example. When it reacts with oxygen in the presence of moisture, it forms rust, a reddish-brown substance. This tendency to rust is a chemical property of iron. Aluminum, on the other hand, doesn’t rust because it reacts differently with oxygen.

Another chemical property is reactivity, which is the ability of matter to combine with other substances. For example- Potassium reacts explosively with water, while noble gases like helium almost never react.

Flammability, the ability to burn, is also a chemical property. When wood burns, it reacts with oxygen to form ash, heat, and gases. Flammable materials like gasoline and paper burn easily, while non-flammable ones like iron do not.

Unlike physical properties, chemical properties involve changes that transform matter into a completely different kind of matter.

Whenever you see rust or fire, remember—you’re watching a chemical reaction.