Chemical Properties of Engineering Materials

Chemical properties are characteristics involved when a substance interacts with another substance to change its chemical make-up
Ability to produce a change in the composition of matter
Chemical Properties – any ability to produce change in the make up of matter.
This means that chemical properties can only be observed as the chemical itself changes into different materials.
Flammability and reactivity are both examples of chemical properties.

These describe what chemical reactions are likely to occur. We can observe how a sample reacts when mixed with other chemicals (water, acid). A material that can burn is described as flammable. Some materials rust (a type of oxidation reaction). Some materials dissolve in water or other liquids.
Usually a chemical reaction involves a transformation of the sample into a different substance, and it may be difficult to reverse the process. For example, wood is flammable.
When it burns it combines with oxygen from the air. The reaction produces ashes, smoke and water; it cannot be reversed to make wood. The products of the reaction have quite different properties from the original wood.