Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In this question, we are asked to identify an example of a chemical change.

First, consider the concept of a chemical change: it involves a process that alters the identity of substances involved, producing new substances with different properties. Common indicators include color change, formation of a precipitate, evolution of gas, or a change in chemical composition.

Now, regarding the provided option(s):
- If the option is 'Rusting of iron' (the stated correct answer in the data), this is a classic example of a chemical change. Iron reacts with oxygen (and water) to form iron oxides, which are chemically distinct from elemental iron. This reaction changes the material’s composition and properties, fulfilling the criteria for a chemical change.

But note the following about the question as given:
- The list of answer options is empty. Without additional options to compare, we can only analyze the one identified example and cannot evaluate the other potential choices for distinctions such as physical changes (e.g., melting ice, dissolving sugar in water, tearing paper) which do not alter chemical identity.
- In a typical multiple-choice context, both the presence and quality of other options matter for discrimination. The absence of those alternatives means there is no basis to contrast the chemical-change example with plausible physical-change examples.

If you were to see multiple options, you would apply the following reasoning strategy for each choice:
- For a choice describing a chemical change (e.g., rusting, combustion, baking a cake involves chemical reactions), explain that the substance’s chemical identity changes and new substances are formed.
- For a choice describing a physical change (e.g., boiling water, shredding paper), explain that no new substances are formed and the change is reversible in many cases, so it does not meet the chemical-change criteria.

In summary, among typical examples, rusting of iron is widely recognized as a chemical change because it involves the formation of new chemical compounds (iron oxides) from iron and oxygen, representing a change in chemical composition. However, due to the absence of other options in the provided list, we cannot assess comparative accuracy for the remaining choices.

2254 CHEM 0101 SEC2010 HW 1

Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?

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