Properties of metals
Metals vs non-metals
| Property | Metals | Non-metals |
|---|---|---|
| conduct heat / electricity | good | poor (except graphite) |
| malleable / ductile | yes | brittle (snap) |
| melting / boiling point | usually high | usually low |
Practice
Compared with non-metals, metals are usually:
Metals conduct heat and electricity well and are malleable/ductile; non-metals are typically brittle and poor conductors.
Chemical reactions of metals
- with dilute acids → salt + hydrogen,
- with cold water or steam → metal hydroxide/oxide + hydrogen,
- with oxygen → metal oxide.
Practice
A reactive metal + dilute acid produces:
metal + acid → salt + hydrogen (the gas that "pops" with a lit splint).
Practice
A metal reacting with oxygen forms a metal oxide.
Metals react with oxygen to form metal oxides (e.g. magnesium oxide).
You've got it
Key idea
- metals: good conductors, malleable/ductile, high melting point; non-metals are the opposite (brittle)
- metal + acid → salt + hydrogen
- metal + oxygen → metal oxide