When mineral oil and food coloring are mixed, is the observed change best classified as a physical change or a chemical change?

• A. Both physical and chemical change
• B. Physical change
• C. Neither physical nor chemical change
• D. Chemical change

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definitions: A physical change affects the form or appearance of a substance without changing its chemical composition, while a chemical change results in the formation of one or more new substances with different chemical properties.
2. Consider the mixing of mineral oil and food coloring: When these two substances are combined, they may disperse or form layers, but no new substances are created.
3. Analyze the properties after mixing: The food coloring molecules remain chemically the same, and the mineral oil molecules also remain unchanged; only their physical arrangement changes.
4. Conclude that since no new chemical bonds are formed or broken and the substances retain their original chemical identities, the change is physical.
5. Therefore, the observed change when mineral oil and food coloring are mixed is best classified as a physical change.