Explain why mass cannot be used as a property to identify a sample of matter.

Mass is an extensive property hence it cannot be used as a property to identify a sample of matter.

The properties of matter can generally be classed into two categories;

Intensive properties of matter are those properties of matter that do not depend of the amount of matter present. In other words, they are characteristic of a particular kind of matter. Examples of such properties include, density, boiling point, etc.

Extensive properties depend on the amount of matter present. They include; mass, weight, etc.

Intensive properties serve as a sort of fingerprint that identifies a substance.

Extensive properties such as mass only measure the amount of matter in a sample and can not be used to identify a sample of matter.

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