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  • Chemical or Physical Change: Heating Copper Carbonate
    This is a chemical change. Here's why:

    * Chemical Change: Involves the formation of new substances with different chemical properties.

    * Physical Change: Only alters the appearance or state of matter, not the chemical composition.

    The Reaction:

    When green copper carbonate (CuCO₃) is heated, it decomposes into black copper oxide (CuO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and water (H₂O).

    Equation:

    CuCO₃ (green) → CuO (black) + CO₂ + H₂O

    Key Points:

    * New substances: Copper oxide, carbon dioxide, and water are formed, which are different from the original copper carbonate.

    * Chemical composition changed: The arrangement of atoms has changed, resulting in new substances.

    * Irreversible: You cannot easily reverse the process to get back the original copper carbonate.

    Therefore, the change in color and the formation of new substances indicate a chemical change has occurred.

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