5th Grade Science Flashcards: Why Some Mixtures Make Substances

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Why Some Mixtures Make Substances, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for 5th Grade Science.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What is the key particle-level idea that explains a new substance forming in a reaction?

Answer: Atoms rearrange to make different molecules. Chemical reactions involve breaking and forming new bonds.

Flashcard 2: Identify the sign of chemical change: temperature changes without heating, stirring, or filtering.

Answer: Temperature changes without heating. Chemical reactions release or absorb energy, changing temperature.

Flashcard 3: Which option best describes vinegar reacting with baking soda: chemical change or physical change?

Answer: Chemical change. Acid-base reaction produces carbon dioxide and new compounds.

Flashcard 4: What is the most important clue that a mixture has produced a new substance?

Answer: The substances cannot be separated by simple physical means. Chemical bonds make separation require chemical reactions, not physical methods.

Flashcard 5: Identify the best conclusion: A mixture fizzes and releases gas. Did a new substance likely form?

Answer: Yes, a new substance likely formed. Gas production is a key indicator of chemical reaction.

Flashcard 6: Identify the sign of chemical change: gas bubbles forming, freezing water, or tearing cloth.

Answer: Gas bubbles forming. Gas production indicates new substances forming from the reaction.

Flashcard 7: Which option is most likely a chemical change: tearing paper, boiling water, or souring milk?

Answer: Souring milk. Bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, a new substance.

Flashcard 8: Identify the sign of chemical change: color change, cutting paper, or melting ice.

Answer: Color change. New substances often have different colors than the original materials.

Flashcard 9: What is a precipitate in the context of mixing two liquids?

Answer: A new solid that forms when two solutions are mixed. Forms when a chemical reaction produces an insoluble product.

Flashcard 10: What is a chemical change?

Answer: A change that forms one or more new substances. Atoms rearrange to create different molecules with new properties.

Flashcard 11: What is the definition of a chemical change?

Answer: A change that forms one or more new substances. Results in products with different properties than the starting materials.

Flashcard 12: Which separation method best shows a mixture did not form a new substance: filtering or "cannot be separated"?

Answer: Filtering. Physical separation methods work only when no chemical bonds formed.

Flashcard 13: What is the definition of a physical change?

Answer: A change that does not form a new substance. Only alters appearance or state, not the substance's identity.

Flashcard 14: What is the main difference between a solution and a chemical reaction?

Answer: A solution forms no new substance; a reaction forms new substances. Solutions involve physical mixing; reactions involve chemical bonding changes.

Flashcard 15: Identify the best conclusion: Two liquids are mixed and a solid appears. Did a new substance form?

Answer: Yes, a precipitate indicates a new substance formed. Solid formation from liquids indicates chemical reaction occurred.

Flashcard 16: Which option is a sign that a new substance may have formed: gas bubbles, dissolving, or melting?

Answer: Gas bubbles. Gas formation indicates a chemical reaction producing new substances.

Flashcard 17: Which option is a chemical change: melting wax or burning wax?

Answer: Burning wax. Combustion breaks chemical bonds, forming CO₂ and water vapor.

Flashcard 18: Which statement best distinguishes mixing from reacting?

Answer: Mixing is physical; reacting is chemical and forms new substances. Physical mixing preserves original substances; reactions create new ones.

Flashcard 19: Which term describes mixing where each substance keeps its original properties?

Answer: Physical change. Components can be separated because no chemical bonds form.

Flashcard 20: Which option is a sign that a new substance may have formed: heat/light produced, cutting, or freezing?

Answer: Heat or light produced. Energy release signals chemical bonds breaking and forming.

Flashcard 21: What is a precipitate?

Answer: A solid that forms when two liquids react and a new substance forms. The solid is a new compound formed by the reaction.

Flashcard 22: Which option is a sign that a new substance may have formed: color change, stirring, or pouring?

Answer: Color change. New substances often have different colors than the originals.

Flashcard 23: What is a physical change?

Answer: A change in form or state that does not make a new substance. Only appearance changes; the substance's identity remains the same.

Flashcard 24: Which option best describes mixing sand and iron filings: chemical change or physical change?

Answer: Physical change. Both substances retain their properties and can be separated.

Flashcard 25: What is the main reason many mixtures do not create new substances?

Answer: The substances do not chemically react; they only mix physically. No bond breaking occurs; substances simply intermingle.

Flashcard 26: Identify the sign of chemical change: a solid forms in a liquid, boiling, or bending metal.

Answer: A solid forms in a liquid (a precipitate forms). Precipitates form when dissolved substances react to create insoluble products.

Flashcard 27: Which option shows new substances forming: salt + water or vinegar + baking soda?

Answer: Vinegar + baking soda. Produces carbon dioxide gas and sodium acetate through chemical reaction.

Flashcard 28: Which option best describes dissolving sugar in water: chemical change or physical change?

Answer: Physical change. Sugar molecules disperse but remain chemically unchanged.

Flashcard 29: Which option shows a physical mixture: sand + iron filings or vinegar + baking soda?

Answer: Sand + iron filings. Both solids retain their properties and can be separated by magnets.

Flashcard 30: What is a mixture in science?

Answer: A physical combination of substances with no new substance formed. Components retain their original properties and can be separated.

Flashcard 31: Identify the sign of chemical change: new odor appears, evaporation, or dissolving sugar.

Answer: New odor appears. New substances often have different smells than the starting materials.

Flashcard 32: Which term describes mixing that produces a substance with new properties?

Answer: Chemical change. Chemical bonds break and form, creating different substances.

Flashcard 33: What is the definition of a mixture in 5th grade physical science?

Answer: A combination of substances that are not chemically joined. Components retain their individual properties and can be separated.

Flashcard 34: What is the best statement about properties in a physical mixture?

Answer: Each substance keeps its own properties. No chemical bonds form between components in physical mixtures.

Flashcard 35: Which option is a physical change: dissolving salt in water or rusting iron?

Answer: Dissolving salt in water. Salt molecules disperse in water but remain chemically unchanged.

Flashcard 36: What is the main reason some mixtures create new substances?

Answer: The substances undergo a chemical reaction. Chemical bonds break and reform, creating new molecular structures.

Flashcard 37: Which option is most likely a physical change: rusting iron, burning wood, or melting ice?

Answer: Melting ice. Ice changes state but remains water molecules ($H_2O$).

Flashcard 38: Which option best describes why filtering can separate sand from water but not salt from water?

Answer: Sand is insoluble; dissolved salt passes through the filter. Particle size determines what passes through filter pores.

Flashcard 39: What is the best statement about properties after a chemical change?

Answer: The products have different properties than the reactants. Chemical reactions rearrange atoms to create substances with new properties.

Flashcard 40: Which statement is always true for a mixture that did not react chemically?

Answer: Each substance keeps its own properties. No chemical reaction means no property changes occur.