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Foundations of Chemistry

Physical Property

A characteristic of a substance that can be observed or measured without altering its chemical identity.

Unit Various

In depth

Physical properties include colour, odour, melting and boiling point, density, hardness, solubility, electrical conductivity and refractive index. They are the basis of most separation techniques and of substance identification, since a matching set of physical constants strongly implies a matching compound.

Examples in the real world

Copper's reddish colour, its melting point of 1085 °C, and its high electrical conductivity.