Chemistry & matter: Chemistry is the science of matter. This means chemistry includes the study of the physical and chemical behaviour of matter. Matter is anything that has mass and occupies space. In simpler terms, matter consists of some "stuff" with volume. It is essentially anything you can directly or indirectly touch, see, feel, taste, or smell. Touching is sometimes done with elaborate tools like scanning tunneling microscopes.

Properties: A property is any characteristic that can be used to describe or identify something. Properties can be either physical or chemical. This means water solubility is a physical property.

Physical properties: Physical properties are solubility in water, volume, length, color, odor, melting point, mass, boiling point. The physical properties are measured or observed without changing the identity of the substance or matter in the object. When sugar dissolves in water the sugar particles (molecules) are simply separated from one another. The water molecules surround the sugar particles. The sugar and water retain their individual structure. If you boil off the water, the sugar can be recovered. Mechanical physical changes are reversible. One physical change can undo another.