A student mixed some yellow sulfur powder with some iron filings. She was able to take the iron out of the sulfur by using a mag
net. She then remixed the iron and sulfur in a test tube and heated it. After it cooled, she removed the substance from the test tube but could not separate the iron from the sulfur using the magnet. Which type of change occurred in the material when it was heated?
Physical change is a change in which there is no rearrangement of atoms and thus no new substance is formed. There is only change in physical state of the substance. The change can be reversed using physical methods.
Chemical change is a change in which there is rearrangement of atoms and thus new substance is formed. There may or may not be a change in physical state. The change can only be reversed using chemical methods.
Thus when iron and sulfur are heated in a test tube, the chemical change occurs and thus lead to formation of new substances which could not be separated using magnet.
The metals are to the left of the line (except for hydrogen, which is a nonmetal), the nonmetals are to the right of the line, and the elements immediately adjacent to the line are the metalloids.
