Is table salt boiling a physical or chemical change?

Physical. It would seem logical to assume that this is a chemical change but since neither the composition of salt (generally NaCl [sodium chloride] in this case) nor the composition of water changes, it is actually a physical change rather than a chemical change.

There are 4 ways to indicate if a chemical change has occurred:

1. There is a temperature change (endothermic = cooler, exothermic = warmer).

- There would be no significant temperature change in the process of distilling the water independent of applying heat to the substance.

2. There is a change in hue (color); this does not include changes in tint (darker to lighter) or saturation (lighter to darker [shade]).

- There would be no change in hue of the solution after the distillation of salt water takes place.

3. A precipitate was made (solution becomes cloudy), meaning a solid was made.

- The solution does not become cloudy, meaning no solid was created (all components involved are soluble).

4. A gas was formed, which is indicated by the formation of bubbles independent of the influences of stirring (bubbles rising occurs persistently after a few minutes or so).

- No gas is formed in the process of distilling the salt water.