Metals and Non-metals

Metals and Non-metals

Metals and non-metal are two types of elements. Metal (such as iron and copper) and nonmetals (such as sulphur and carbon) are differentiated by their physical and chemical characteristics.

Physical Properties of Metals

• Metals are excellent conductors of heat and electricity. As a result, copper and aluminium are used to make electric cables
• Hardness: Most metals are hard, with the exception of alkali metals like sodium, potassium, and lithium. Alkali metals are extremely soft and can be sliced with a knife
• Except for sodium and potassium, metals have high specific strength
• Except for mercury, metals are solid at normal temperatures
• They make a ringing sound that is also known as Sonorous. As a result, metal wires are employed in the construction of stringed instruments like guitar, sarod etc
• Metals can be pounded into a thin sheet due to their malleability
• Metals can be pulled into thin wire due to their ductility
• Melting and boiling points: Metals, with the exception of sodium and potassium, have high melting and boiling points
• Density: The density of metals is generally high
• Except for gold and copper, the majority of metals are grey in color
• Lustre is a term that refers to how shiny something is. Metals are lustrous in nature

Physical Properties of Nonmetals

• Non-metals, with the exception of graphite (an allotrope of carbon), are poor conductors of heat and electricity
• Hardness: Except for diamond, non metals are generally soft
• Non-metals might be solid, liquid, or gaseous. They are fragile in general
• They do not generate a normal sound when struck
• They don’t have the traits of malleability or ductility
• Melting and boiling points: The melting and boiling points of non-metals are typically low
• Density: The density of most nonmetals is low
• Non-metals come in a variety of colors
• Except for diamonds and iodine, they have a dull look

Chemical Properties of some Metals

• Reaction with Air:

Metal oxides are formed when metals react with oxygen.

Metal + Oxygen Resulting in Metal Oxide

Metal oxides are a type of basic material found in nature. Amphoteric oxides, on the other hand, are metal oxides that exhibit both acid and base behaviour, such as aluminium oxide and zinc oxide.

Although most metal oxides are insoluble in water, some do dissolve to generate alkalis. Alkalis are made when sodium oxide and potassium oxide dissolve in water.

• In the open, metals like potassium and sodium react violently and catch fire. As a result, they are kept submerged in kerosene oil to protect them and avoid inadvertent fires
• Even at high temps, silver and gold do not react with oxygen
• Metals such as magnesium, aluminium, zinc, lead, and others have a thin layer of oxide on their surfaces at ambient temperature. It keeps them from oxidising anymore
• When most metals come into contact with water, they form metal oxide and hydrogen, and oxygen. Metal oxides that are water-soluble dissolve and generate metal hydroxide as a result

• Cool water causes metals to react strongly. The interaction between sodium and potassium is quite strong, and it is an exothermic reaction, so when hydrogen is released, it catches fire right away
• Mg reacts with heated water to generate magnesium hydroxide and hydrogen, but not with cold water. It also begins to float as a result of hydrogen gas bubbles adhering to its surface
• Aluminium, iron, and zinc are metals that do not react either with cold or hot water. However, when they come into contact with steam, they produce metal oxide and hydrogen
• Lead, copper, silver, and gold are metals that do not react with water
• When metals react with acids, they produce salt and hydrogen, and oxygen. Gold and platinum can be dissolved in deionized water
• The reaction with solutions of Other Metal Salts: In solutions or melted form, volatile components can displace less volatile metals from respective combinations
• Metal A is much more active than B if something disperses metal B from its solutions
• The Reactivity Series: It is a list of metals arranged in the order of their decreasing activities

The Reaction of Metals and Non-metals:

• Cations are formed when metals lose their terminal electron(s)
• Anions are formed when non-metals gain electrons in their outer shells
• Electrostatic forces attract the cation and anion together, resulting in an ionic connection

Ionic Compounds:

Ionic substances are neutral mixtures of positively and negatively charged ions known as cations and anions. MgCl2, NaCl, are a few examples.

Properties of Ionic Compounds

Physical nature : The material is strong, hard, and brittle.

Temperatures at which substances melt and boil: Strong Solubility: Generally liquid in water and inert in solvents such as kerosene, petrol, and other petroleum-based products.

Electricity Conduction: Only ionize while it is molten.

Occurrence of Metals:

• Metals are mostly obtained from the earth’s crust. Table salt, magnesium chloride, and other soluble salts can be found in seawater
• Minerals occur naturally from chemicals or compounds found in the earth’s crust
• Minerals with a high proportion of a specific metal can be mined successfully in some regions. Ore refers to such minerals

Conclusion

Metals, metalloids, and nonmetals are different, and similar. Well, the metals and nonmetals are not the same because metals are shiny and nonmetals aren’t. Metals are good conductors of electricity, nonmetals are not. Metals conduct heat, nonmetals don’t conduct heat. Metals can be hammered into thin sheets, nonmetals can not. But there is something that brings them together, metalloids. Metalloids are always both. Some metalloids are shiny, some are dull. Some are good conductors of electricity, some are not. Some conduct heat, some don’t. Some of them can be hammered into thin sheets, some can’t. As you see, they are alike and different. Metals and nonmetals are not alike but metalloids are both of them.