Substances have qualities that may be classified as physical or chemical properties. Measurements that can be taken without changing an element or compound are known as “physical properties”, and statistics provided by a reaction are referred to as “chemical properties. A substance’s molecular structure must be affected to observe chemical properties, the traits which cannot be determined by touching or viewing the substance.
Chemical and physical properties are described with references.
Chemical properties can be contrasted with physical properties, which can be discerned without changing the substance’s structure. However, for many properties within the scope of physical chemistry, and other disciplines at the border of chemistry and physics, the distinction may be a matter of researcher’s perspective.
Chemical properties of matter describes its “potential” to undergo some chemical change or reaction by virtue of its composition. What elements, electrons, and bonding are present to give the potential for chemical change.
It is quite difficult to define a chemical property without using the word “change”.
For example hydrogen has the potential to ignite and explode given the right conditions. This is a chemical property.
Metals in general have the chemical property of reacting with an acid. Zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce hydrogen gas. Chemical properties can be used for building chemical classifications.