Final answer:
Substances have both physical properties, measurable without changing the substance, and chemical properties, which relate to reaction potential. Pure substances maintain consistent properties, fundamental to chemical science.
Step-by-step explanation:
Physical and Chemical Properties of Substances
All substances exhibit distinct physical properties and chemical properties that are essential in identifying and studying them. Physical properties, like mass, color, and volume, can be measured without altering the substance's composition. In contrast, chemical properties are related to a substance's ability to undergo reactions that form new substances, such as flammability and reactivity with acids.
Pure substances maintain consistent physical and chemical properties. For instance, magnesium's ability to react with acids and emit hydrogen gas can be considered a chemical property. The sophistication of modern science now allows the direct measurement of these properties, which was historically done via simpler tools and led to the creation of the unit 'mole' for the quantity of substance.
Understanding these properties facilitates predicting how substances will behave and react, thus being a foundation of chemical science.