Multiple Choice
Which of the following best explains why melting an ice cube is considered a reversible physical change?
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1. Intro to General Chemistry
Physical & Chemical Changes
Multiple Choice
Which of the following best explains why the melting of ice is not considered a chemical change?
A
A chemical reaction occurs when ice melts, forming hydrogen and oxygen gases.
B
Melting ice produces new substances with different chemical properties.
C
The melting of ice involves breaking chemical bonds within the H_2O molecules.
D
The process does not alter the chemical composition of H_2O; only its physical state changes.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the difference between a chemical change and a physical change: A chemical change results in the formation of new substances with different chemical properties, while a physical change affects only the physical state or appearance without altering the chemical composition.
Analyze the melting of ice: When ice melts, it changes from solid to liquid water, but the molecules remain H_2O throughout the process.
Recognize that no new substances are formed during melting: The chemical bonds within each H_2O molecule remain intact; only the arrangement and movement of molecules change.
Conclude that melting ice is a physical change because the chemical identity of the substance (H_2O) does not change, only its physical state changes from solid to liquid.
Therefore, the best explanation is that the process does not alter the chemical composition of H_2O; only its physical state changes.
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