Here's why:
* No new substances are formed: When table salt melts, it transitions from a solid to a liquid state, but the chemical bonds between sodium and chlorine ions remain intact. The resulting molten salt is still composed of sodium and chloride ions.
* Reversible change: The melting process is reversible. Cooling the molten salt will cause it to solidify back into its original crystalline structure.
* Observable and measurable: The melting point is a specific temperature at which the solid-to-liquid transition occurs. This temperature can be measured and observed.
In contrast, a chemical property describes how a substance reacts or changes its chemical composition. For example, the reaction of table salt with water to form a solution would be considered a chemical property.
Therefore, the melting point of table salt is a physical property because it's a characteristic of the substance that can be observed and measured without altering its chemical composition.
