The big idea: A chemical property describes an aspect of a material that leads to it reacting with another substance.
The material is altered by the encounter — which is exactly what separates these from physical properties.
Each property drawn as the material meeting something else and changing.
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Corrosion resistance
Reactivity — food safe
Hygroscopy
Flammability
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Chemical properties are about the environment the product lives in. They tend to eliminate candidates rather than rank them, because a material that corrodes in the product's actual setting is simply out.
| Product | The environment | Chemical property that decides |
|---|---|---|
| Shower fitting | Constant warm damp | Corrosion resistance, not hygroscopic |
| Lunch box | Acidic and oily food | Food-safe reactivity |
| Outdoor bench | Rain, frost, sun | Corrosion resistance and hygroscopy |
| Sofa foam | A living room | Flammability, to a regulated grade |
| Garden tool handle | A damp shed | Hygroscopy, or it swells and splits |
The trap: Naming a chemical property without naming what it reacts with. "Corrosion resistant" is half an answer; "corrosion resistant, because it is splashed with salty water daily" is the whole one.
How this is tested — explaining the chemical properties and applying them to an environment. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — multiple choice
- Identify the chemical property a described failure shows.
- Pick the property that suits a stated environment.
Paper 2 — analysing a product
- Explain the chemical properties needed for a product's setting.
- Explain why a material failed in a described environment.
The trap: Confusing chemical with physical. Melting is physical — the material is unchanged when it resolidifies. Burning is chemical — it becomes something else.
A wooden garden bench is left outdoors all year and begins to split after two winters. Explain the chemical properties involved and how a redesign could address them.
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