Through these experiments, you concluded that:

1. It is not possible to discern the difference between substances that were elements and those that were compounds simply by observing density and chemical reactions. Elements and compounds may share similar properties such as color, texture, density, and chemical reactivity and these similarities can be used as a comparison to more familiar, known elements or compounds.

2. Possible identities of substances can be based on similarities of color and texture to substances that are encountered in everyday life. For example, the solid, cylindrical shape of chalk, the bronze color and luster of copper, or the metallic silver color of aluminum foil. However, without a direct comparison to known substances, a definitive identity cannot be concluded. In addition, properties such as density and chemical reactivity are helpful in the determination of an unknown substance’s identity if compared with substances with known densities and chemical relativities. Physical and chemical properties of an element or compound are distinctive. The greater the number of properties, both physical and chemical, that can be tested or measured, the more likely a scientist is to determine the identity of the substance, especially when those properties can be compared to a list of properties for known substances.