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Metals in the periodic table
The periodic table is a list of all the known elements,
arranged according to similarities in their properties.

Where are metals and non-metals located in the periodic table?

Metals are on Non-metals

the left and in are mostly
the centre. on the right.

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Properties of metals
What does the word ‘property’
mean when scientists talk
about metals?

A property is a characteristic
of a substance.

The properties of a substance

tell you how it looks, how it
behaves and how it reacts
in chemical reactions.

What do you think are some

typical properties that metals
have?

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Properties of metals – experiment

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Typical properties of metals
What are the properties of metals?
 solid
 strong
 malleable (easily shaped)
 conduct heat and electricity
 dense
 shiny
 sonorous (make a ringing sound)
 ductile (can be pulled into wires) Do all metals have
 high melting and boiling points. all these properties?

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Typical properties of non-metals
What are the properties of non-metals?
 usually liquids or gases
 non-rigid structure
 poor conductors of
heat and electricity
 low density
 dull, not shiny
 not ductile
 low melting and boiling points.
Do all non-metals have all these properties?

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Carbon
Carbon is a very common non-metal.
Carbon is the fourth most common element in the universe,
and nearly a fifth of the human body is made of carbon.
Carbon exists as a pure element in three forms:

Diamond, which Graphite, which Fullerenes,

is the hardest you will find in which are football-
substance known. your pencil. shaped molecules.

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Comparing metals and non-metals

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Metal or non-metal?

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Metals and non-metals: true or false?

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Metalloids
Where in the periodic table can you find the metalloids
(sometimes called semi-metals)?

The metalloids
are located
here.

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Properties of metalloids
Can you predict the properties of the metalloids?

As you might expect, metalloids have properties halfway

between those of metals and non-metals.

Metalloids are solids at room

temperature, react in some ways
like metals and in some ways like
non-metals, and, perhaps most
importantly, act as semi-
conductors.

The metalloids are boron, silicon,

germanium, arsenic, antimony,
tellurium and astatine.

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Metal, non-metal or metalloid?

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Semi-conductors
Semi-conductors are neither conductors nor insulators.
Semi-conductors conduct a tiny amount of electricity, but their
conductivity can be changed by doping, which means adding a
small amount of other substances to the semi-conductor.
Doping allows scientists to
control how much electricity
is conducted, and that allows
them to build silicon chips.
Silicon chips are used in
many appliances, such as
computers, mobile phones,
digital appliances, games
consoles and solar panels.

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Silicon
Silicon makes up 26% of the Earth’s crust by mass, and is
the second most abundant element, after oxygen.

Silicon is found in sand, as silicon

dioxide, and in glass, cement and
ceramics as silicon oxides.

As an element, silicon is thought to be essential for growth

in plants, and for the formation of cell walls in microscopic
algae.
Silicon compounds are used
for waterproofing, sealants,
and in breast implants.

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Using metals
Can all metals do the same job?

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The right metal for the job

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The history of metals

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Metals today – alloys
Most modern metallic objects are made from alloys, rather
than pure metal.
An alloy is a mixture of two or more metal elements.
Common alloys include steel (which is made from iron), brass,
bronze and white gold.

Why do you think alloys are often used instead of pure metals?

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Metals today – smart alloys
Smart alloys can ‘remember’ their structure even if you bend
them or heat them. Because of this, they are sometimes called
shape memory alloys.
Nitinol is a smart alloy made from nickel and titanium.
It can be used to make
a pair of glasses that
‘remembers’ its shape
and springs back into
shape after being
crushed.
It can also be used to
hold broken bones in
place while they heal.

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Recycling
Metals make up about a tenth of household waste in the UK.
What are some typical metal objects in your household waste?
 steel, tin and aluminium cans
 foil, baking and freezing trays.
Even though metals are easy to recycle,
in the UK we only recycle, on average,
around a fifth of all the metal we use.
What reasons do you think people
have for not recycling their metals?
Can you think of reasons why
people should recycle their metals?

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Recycling

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Is it easy to recycle metals?

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Why recycle?

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Glossary

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Anagrams

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Multiple-choice quiz

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