Melting butter is a physical change. Which best describes what is happening during this process?

• A. The butter changes from a solid to a liquid without altering its chemical composition.
• B. The butter undergoes a chemical reaction to form new substances.
• C. The butter decomposes into its elemental components.
• D. The butter reacts with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the difference between physical and chemical changes: A physical change affects the form or state of a substance without changing its chemical identity, while a chemical change results in the formation of new substances with different chemical compositions.
2. Identify the process described: Melting butter involves changing its state from solid to liquid due to the application of heat.
3. Recognize that during melting, the molecules in butter gain enough energy to overcome the forces holding them in a solid structure, but the molecules themselves do not change chemically.
4. Conclude that since the chemical composition of butter remains the same and no new substances are formed, melting is a physical change.
5. Therefore, the best description is that the butter changes from a solid to a liquid without altering its chemical composition.