Question

Melting of Wax Is a Physical Change but Burning of Wax Is a Chemical Change. Explain?

Answer 1

Physical Change:

• A change in which a substance undergoes a change in its physical properties is known as a physical change.
• A physical change is generally reversible in which such a change no new substance is formed.

Chemical Change:

• A change in which one or more new substances are formed is generally known as a chemical change.
• A chemical change is also known as a chemical reaction, which is irreversible in nature.

Melting of Wax Is a Physical Change but Burning of Wax Is a Chemical Change:

• Melting of wax, by itself, involves a change of state from solid to liquid.
• Here in the given process, only the physical state of a substance changes, but no new products get formed.
• It is a reversible reaction as the liquified wax when left for some time will again get solidified to form solid wax again.
• Whereas during the burning of the wax new gaseous substances are get formed.
• Also, the produced gaseous substances cannot reverse back to form the solid wax again, which depicts the process as a chemical change.

Hence, the statement saying, Melting of Wax Is a Physical Change but Burning of Wax Is a Chemical Change, has been explained above.