Which term refers to the ability of a substance to combine and form one or more new substances?

The term that refers to the ability of a substance to combine and form one or more new substances is known as chemical properties. Chemical properties describe the characteristics of a substance that become evident during or after a chemical reaction. These properties include reactivity with other chemicals, acidity, flammability, and the ability to undergo changes that transform the substance into different substances.

For instance, when iron rusts, it combines with oxygen in the presence of moisture to form iron oxide, indicating a chemical change. This distinguishes chemical properties from physical properties, which pertain to the characteristics of a substance that can be observed or measured without changing its composition, such as color, melting point, and boiling point. Element properties and compound properties are less commonly used terms and do not specifically define the ability of a substance to react and change into new substances.