Burning wood is an example of which kind of change?

Burning wood is an example of which kind of change?

• A. Physical Change
• B. Chemical Change
• C. Phase Change
• D. State Change

Answer: (B)

Chemical change is when a material undergoes a transformation that creates new substances with different properties. When wood burns, it reacts with oxygen in the air in a combustion reaction. The wood’s molecules break apart and recombine to form substances like carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ash, releasing heat and light. Because new chemical substances are formed and the material can’t simply be returned to its original form by physical means, this is a chemical change. It’s not just a phase change, like melting or boiling, where the material changes form or state without forming new substances (even though some water may vaporize during burning, the overall process is defined by the chemical transformation of the wood).

Chemical change is when a material undergoes a transformation that creates new substances with different properties. When wood burns, it reacts with oxygen in the air in a combustion reaction. The wood’s molecules break apart and recombine to form substances like carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ash, releasing heat and light. Because new chemical substances are formed and the material can’t simply be returned to its original form by physical means, this is a chemical change. It’s not just a phase change, like melting or boiling, where the material changes form or state without forming new substances (even though some water may vaporize during burning, the overall process is defined by the chemical transformation of the wood).