Chemical Changes in Everyday Life

What is an example of a chemical change?

Which of the following is an example of a chemical change? A. water freezing into ice B. a fire burning wood C. a glass dish shattering

Answer

The answer is fire burning wood.

Chemical changes are transformations that result in the formation of new substances with different properties compared to the original substances. In the case of fire burning wood, it is a classic example of a chemical change.

When wood burns in a fire, it undergoes a chemical reaction that releases energy in the form of heat and light. The wood is transformed into ash, smoke, and gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapor. This process involves the breaking and forming of chemical bonds in the wood molecules, resulting in the production of charred wood and other byproducts.

Unlike physical changes such as water freezing into ice, which only affect the state of matter without altering the chemical composition, the burning of wood involves a rearrangement of atoms and molecules to create new substances. This is why fire burning wood is considered a chemical change.