Metalic Elements and Properties:

The different kinds of materials around us exist in variety of forms. Things like aeroplanes, trains,
building frames, automobiles or even different machines and tools, are due to different properties of
various metals. The non-metals exist as gases, liquids and soft or hard solids. They occupy upper right
positions in the Periodic Table. Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulphur, most of the halogens
and the noble gases are non-metals. They show a variety of chemical reactivities. They form different
ionic and covalent compounds, many of which are solids or gases.

METALS: Metals are the elements (except hydrogen) which are electropositive and form cations by
losing electrons. Metals can be categorized.

a. Very reactive: potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and aluminium.

b. Moderately reactive : zinc, iron, tin and lead.

c. Least reactive or noble : copper, mercury, silver and gold.

Important physical characteristics of metals are listed below:

i. Almost all metals are solids (except mercury)

ii. They have high melting and boiling points, (except alkali metals)
iii. They possess metallic luster and can be polished.
iv. They are malleable (can be hammered into sheets), ductile (can be drawn into wires) and
give off a tone when hit.
v. They are good conductor of heat and electricity.
vi. They have high densities.
vii. They are hard (except sodium and potassium).

Important chemical properties of metals are:

i. They easily lose electrons and form positive ions.

ii. They readily react with oxygen to form basic oxides.
iii. They usually form ionic compounds with non-metals.
iv. They have metallic bonding.

Electropositive Character:

Metals have the tendency to lose their valance electrons. This property of a metal is termed as
electropositivity or metallic character. The more easily a metal loses its electrons, the more
electropositive it is. The number of electrons lost by an atom of a metal is called its valency. For
example, sodium atom can lose 1 electron to form a positive ion So the valency of sodium metal is 1.

Na→Na ion plus elecrone-

Similarly zinc metal can lose 2 electrons from its valence shell. Therefore, its valency is 2.
 Trends of electropositivity:
Electropositive character increases down the group because size of atoms increases.

For example, lithium metal is less electropositive than sodium which is in turn less electropositive
than potassium. Electropositive character decreases across the period from left to right in the
periodic table because atomic sizes decrease due to increase of nuclear charge. It means elements
at the start of a period are more metallic. This character decreases as we move from left to right
along the period.

Electropositivity and ionization energy:

Electropositive character depends upon the ionization energy which in turn depends upon size and
nuclear charge of the atom. Small sized atoms with high nuclear charge have high ionization energy
value. In this way, atoms having high ionization energy are less electropositive or metallic. That is
the reason alkali metals have the largest size and the lowest ionization energy in their respective
periods. Therefore, they have the highest metallic character. For example, a comparison of sodium
and magnesium metals is given below for understanding.

The 1 ionization energy of magnesium is high but the 2 ionization energy of magnesium is very high.
It becomes very difficult to remove second electron from the Mg+ ion as nuclear charge attracts the
remaining electrons strongly. As a result of this attraction size of the ion decreases.

Physical properties
The table summarises some typical properties of metals and non-metals.
 Metals Non-metals

Shiny Dull

High melting points Low melting points

Good conductors of electricity Poor conductors of electricity

Good conductors of heat Poor conductors of heat

High density Low density

Malleable and ductile Brittle

Some elements have properties that are not typical. For example:

 mercury (a metal) has a low melting point and exists as a liquid at room temperature

 graphite, a form of carbon (a non-metal), has a high boiling point and is also a
good conductor of electricity
A substance with a high density means it has a high mass for its size.

Malleable substances can be bent or hammered into shape without shattering,

while brittle substances shatter when bent or hit.

Ductile means that a substance can be drawn out into a long wire without snapping or
breaking.

Metalic Bond:
A metallic bond is a type of chemical bond formed between positively charged
atoms in which the free electrons are shared among a lattice of cations. In
contrast, covalent and ionic bonds form between two discrete atoms. Metallic
bonding is the main type of chemical bond that forms between metal atoms.
Chemical Properties of Metals Let us look at some chemical properties of metals as well.

Reaction Of Metal With Oxygen

Metals react with oxygen to form metal oxides. Metals donate electrons to oxygen for the formation
of metal oxides. For example,
4K + O2 → 2 K2O
Metal oxides are generally basic in nature but it can also be amphoteric in nature. Amphoteric oxides
mean that they are acidic as well as basic in nature. Some metals like sodium and potassium react
vigorously with oxygen. Whenever sodium or potassium is exposed to air it catches fire. Hence, they
are kept in kerosene.

Reaction Of Metal With Water

Some metals react with water to form metal hydroxide whereas some of them do not react.
Reactivity with water differs from metal to metal.

Metals like sodium and potassium are highly reactive. They react with water to form alkalis such as
sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide.
2Na + 2H2O → 2NaOH + H2

Calcium also reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide and hydrogen.
Ca + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2

Reaction of metals With Dilute Acids:

Metals like sodium, potassium, lithium and calcium react vigorously with dilute HCl and H 2SO4 to
form their metal salt and hydrogen.

Prepared By M.Zuhair Chemist

O’Level Chemistry

+923154512845