Examples of Chemical Properties

Why Is It Important to Know the Chemical Properties of a Sample?

It's important to know the chemical properties of a sample because this information can be used to:

• Classify it
• Identify an unknown sample
• Purify it
• Separate it from other substance
• Predict its behavior
• Predict its uses

Let's take a closer look at some examples of chemical properties.

Toxicity as a Chemical Property

Toxicity is an example of a chemical property. Toxicity is how dangerous a chemical is to your health, a particular organ, another organism, or to the environment. You can't tell by looking at a chemical whether or not it is toxic. How poisonous a substance is depends on the situation, so this is a property that can only be observed and measured by exposing an organic system to a sample. The exposure causes a chemical reaction or set of reactions. The net result of the chemical changes is the toxicity.

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Chemical Properties of Matter

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Flammability as a Chemical Property

Flammability is a measure of how readily a sample ignites or how well it can sustain a combustion reaction. You don't know how easily something will burn until you try to ignite it, so flammability is an example of a chemical property.

Flammable vs Inflammable

Chemical Stability

Chemical stability is also known as thermodynamic stability. It occurs when a substance is at chemical equilibrium in its environment, which is its lowest energy state. This is a property of matter that is determined by its specific conditions, so it can't be observed without exposing a sample to that situation. Thus, chemical stability fits the definition of a chemical property of matter.

Chemical stability is related to chemical reactivity. While chemical stability pertains to a given set of circumstances, reactivity is a measure of how likely a sample is to participate in a chemical reaction under a variety of conditions and how quickly a reaction might proceed.

Oxidation States or Oxidation Number

Each element has a preferred set of oxidation states or oxidation numbers. It is a measure of the loss of electrons or oxidation of an atom in a compound. Although integers (e.g., -1, 0, 2) are used to describe oxidation states, the true level of oxidation is more complicated. Because oxidation can't be known until an element participates in a chemical reaction to form chemical bonds, this is a chemical property.

More Examples of Chemical Properties

There are many chemical properties of matter. In addition to toxicity, flammability, chemical stability, and oxidation states, other chemical properties include:

• Enthalpy of formation
• The heat of combustion
• Electronegativity
• Coordination number
• Solubility
• Acidity/basicity
• The degree of ionization

Basically, a chemical property is a characteristic that may only be observed as a result of a chemical reaction.

What Is Matter?