Chapter 10 :Metals

1 Describe the general physical properties of metals as solids with high melting and boiling

points, malleable and good conductors of heat and electricity

Metals and non-metals

● The Periodic Table contains over 100 different elements

● They can be divided into two broad types: metals and non-metals
● Most of the elements are metals and a small number of elements display
properties of both types
○ These elements are called metalloids or semimetals.

Properties of metals

● Conduct heat and electricity

● Are malleable (can be hammered and made into different shapes) and ductile
(can be drawn into wires)
● Tend to be lustrous (shiny)
● Have high density and usually have high melting points
● Form positive ions through electron loss
● Form basic oxides

Properties of non-metal elements

● Do not conduct heat and electricity

● Are brittle when solid and easily break up
● Tend to be dull and nonreflective
● Have low density and low melting points (many are gases at room temperature)
● Form negative ions through electron gain (except for hydrogen)

Form acidic oxides

Describe metallic bonding as a lattice of positive ions in a ‘sea of electrons’ and use this to
describe the electrical conductivity and malleability of metals

Metallic Bonding
EXTENDED
● Metal atoms are held together strongly by metallic bonding in a giant metallic
lattice
● Within the metallic lattice, the atoms lose the electrons from their outer shell and
become positively charged ions
● The outer electrons no longer belong to a particular metal atom and are said to
be delocalised
● They move freely between the positive metal ions like a 'sea of electrons'
● Metallic bonds are strong and are a result of the attraction between the positive
metal ions and the negatively charged delocalised electrons

● Metals have high melting and boiling points

○ There are many strong metallic bonds in giant metallic structures between
the positive metal ion and delocalised electrons
○ A lot of heat energy is needed to break these bonds
● Metals conduct electricity
○ There are free electrons available to move through the structure and carry
charge
○ Electrons entering one end of the metal cause a delocalised electron to
displace itself from the other end
 ○ Hence electrons can flow so electricity is conducted
● Metals are malleable and ductile
○ Layers of positive ions can slide over one another and take up different
positions
○ Metallic bonding is not disrupted as the outer electrons do not belong to
any particular metal atom so the delocalised electrons will move with them
○ Metallic bonds are thus not broken and as a result metals are strong but
flexible
○ They can be hammered and bent into different shapes(malleable ) or
drawn into wires without breaking(ductile)

Alloys

Properties & Uses of Alloys

● An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals or metal with a non-metal such as

carbon
● Alloys often have properties that can be very different from the metals they
contain, for example, they can have more strength, hardness or resistance to
corrosion or extreme temperatures
● These enhanced properties can make alloys more useful than pure metals

Common alloys and their uses

● Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and is much stronger than either metal
 ○ It is used in musical instruments, ornaments and door knobs
● Stainless steel is a mixture of iron and other elements, for example, chromium,
nickel and carbon
○ It is used in cutlery because of its hardness and resistance to corrosion
● Alloys of iron with tungsten are extremely hard and resistant to high temperatures
● Alloys of iron mixed with chromium or nickel are resistant to corrosion
● Aluminium is mixed with copper, manganese and silicon for aircraft body
production as the alloy is stronger but still has a low density
● Alloys contain atoms of different sizes, which distorts the normally regular
arrangements of atoms in metals
● This makes it more difficult for the layers to slide over each other, so alloys are
usually much harder than the pure metal

Describe how the properties of iron are changed

by the controlled use of additives to form steel
alloys, such as mild steel and stainless steel

Uses of Steel
● Pure iron is not useful by itself as it is too soft and rusts very easily
● Adding different quantities of carbon and other metals allows the properties to be
changed and therefore used in various contexts
● It is important to monitor the amount of carbon that has been added to iron- too
little and the iron is not strong enough but too much and the iron becomes brittle
●
 Reactivity Series
Place in order of reactivity: potassium, sodium,calcium, magnesium, aluminium, (carbon), zinc,
iron, (hydrogen) and copper, by reference to the reactions, if any, of the elements with:
– water or steam
– dilute hydrochloric acid
– reduction of their oxides with carbon

General chemical properties of Metals •

The chemistry of metals is studied by analysing their reactions with
water, dilute acid and oxygen •
Based on these reactions a reactivity series of metals can be produced •

Reactivity with water Some metals react with water, either warm or cold,
or with steam
Metal +water —-- metal hydroxide +hydrogen

• Metals that react with cold water form a metal hydroxide and hydrogen
gas, for example
calcium: Ca + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2
Hot water
• Metals that react with steam form metal oxide and hydrogen gas, for
example zinc: Zn + H2O → ZnO + H2

Reactivity with acids • Most metals react with dilute acids such as HCl
• When acids and metals react, the hydrogen atom in the acid is replaced
by the metal atom to produce a salt and hydrogen gas,

for example

iron: Fe + 2HCI → FeCl2 + H2

Reactivity with oxygen

Unreactive metals such as gold and copper do not react with acids
• Some reactive metals such as the alkali metals react with oxygen
• Copper and iron can also react with oxygen although much more slowly
• When metals react with oxygen a metal oxide is formed, for example
copper:

2Cu + O2 → 2CuO
Describe the reactivity series in terms of the tendency of a metal to form its positive
ion,illustrated by its reaction, if any, with:
– aqueous ions of other listed metals
– the oxides of other listed metals

Reactions with Aqueous Ions & Oxides

Displacement reactions between metals and metal oxides

• The reactivity of metals increases going up the reactivity series

• This means that a more reactive metal can displace a less reactive metal from its oxide by
heating

Example: Copper(II) Oxide

• It is possible to reduce copper(II) oxide by heating it with magnesium

• As magnesium is above copper in the reactivity series, magnesium is more reactive so can
displace copper

• The reducing agent in the reaction is magnesium:

CuO (s) + Mg (s) → Cu (s) + MgO (s)

Displacement reactions between metals and aqueous solutions of metal salts

• Any metal will displace another metal that is below it in the reactivity series from a solution of
one of its salts
• This is because more reactive metals lose electrons and form ions more readily than less
reactive metals, making them better reducing agents

• The less reactive metal is a better electron acceptor than the more reactive metal, thus the
less reactive metal is reduced. (OIL-RIG: reduction is gain of electrons)
Example: Zinc and copper(II) sulfate

• As Zinc is above copper in the reactivity series, zinc is more reactive so can displace copper
from copper(II) sulfate solution:

Zn (s) + CuSO4 (aq) → ZnSO4 (aq) + Cu (s)