Metals

PEW 106
Platinum
Platinum is a beautiful silvery-white metal, when pure, and
is malleable and ductile. It has a coefficient of expansion
almost equal to that of soda-lime-silica glass, and is
therefore used to make sealed electrodes in glass systems.
The metal does not oxidise in air. It is insoluble in
hydrochloric and nitric acid, but dissolves when they are
mixed as aqua regia, forming chloroplatinic acid (H 2PtCl6),
an important compound. It is corroded by halogens,
cyanides, sulphur and alkalis. Hydrogen and oxygen gas
mixtures explode in the presence of platinum wire.
Gold
Gold is usually alloyed in jewellery to give it more
strength, and the term carat describes the amount of gold
present (24 carats is pure gold). It is estimated that all
the gold in the world, so far refined, could be placed in a
single cube 60 ft. on a side. It is metallic, with a yellow
colour when in a mass, but when finely divided it may be
black, ruby, or purple.
It is the most malleable and ductile metal; 1 ounce (28 g)
of gold can be beaten out to 300 square feet. It is a soft
metal and is usually alloyed to give it more strength. It is
a good conductor of heat and electricity, and is unaffected
by air and most reagents.
Graphite (form of carbon)
Carbon is found free in nature in three allotropic forms:
amorphous, graphite, and diamond. A fourth form, known as
"white" carbon, is now thought to exist. Ceraphite is one of
the softest known materials while diamond is one of the
hardest. Graphite exists in two forms: alpha and beta. These
have identical physical properties, except for their crystal
structure. Naturally occurring graphites are reported to
contain as much as 30% of the rhombohedral (beta) form,
whereas synthetic materials contain only the alpha form. The
hexagonal alpha type can be converted to the beta by
mechanical treatment, and the beta form reverts to the alpha
on heating it above 1000C.
Titanium
Titanium minerals are quite common. The metal has a
low density, good strength, is easily fabricated, and has
excellent corrosion resistance. The metal burns in air and
is the only element that burns in nitrogen. It is
marvellous in fireworks.
Silver
Silver is somewhat rare and expensive, although not as
expensive as gold. Pure silver has a brilliant white metallic
lustre. It is a little harder than gold and is very ductile and
malleable. Pure silver has the highest electrical and
thermal conductivity of all metals, and possesses the
lowest contact resistance. Silver iodide, AgI, is (or was?)
used for causing clouds to produce rain.
Silver is stable in pure air and water, but tarnishes when
exposed to ozone, hydrogen sulphide, or air containing
sulphur. It occurs in ores including argentite, lead, lead-
zinc, copper and gold found in Mexico, Peru, and the USA.
Nickel
Nickel is found as a constituent in most meteorites and
often serves as one of the criteria for distinguishing a
meteorite from other minerals. Iron meteorites, or
siderites, may contain iron alloyed with from 5 to nearly
20% nickel. The USA 5-cent coin (whose nickname is
"nickel") contains just 25% nickel. Nickel is a silvery
white metal that takes on a high polish. It is hard,
malleable, ductile, somewhat ferromagnetic, and a fair
conductor of heat and electricity.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is a silvery-white, hard, transition metal.
Scheele discovered it in 1778. It was often confused with
graphite and lead ore. Molybdenum is used in alloys,
electrodes and catalysts. The World War 2 German
artillery piece called "Big Bertha" contains molybdenum
as an essential component of its steel.
valuable alloying agent (contributes to the hardenability
and toughness of quenched and tempered steels).
Almost all ultra-high strength steels contain molybdenum
in amounts from 0.25 to 8%
Chromium
Chromium is steel-gray, lustrous, hard, metallic, and takes
a high polish. Its compounds are toxic. It is found as
chromite ore. Siberian red lead (crocoite, PrCrO4) is a
chromium ore prized as a red pigment for oil paints.
Used to harden steel, to manufacture stainless steel, and
to form alloys
Used in plating to produce a hard, beautiful surface and
to prevent corrosion.
INCONEL 600 ®

Alloy 600 is a nickel-chromium alloy designed for

use from cryogenic to elevated temperatures in
the range of 2000 deg F(1093 deg C). The high
nickel content of the alloy enables it to retain
considerable resistance under reducing conditions
and makes it resistant to corrosion by a number
of organic and inorganic compounds. The nickel
content gives it excellent resistance to chloride-
ion stress-corrosion cracking and also provides
excellent resistance to alkaline solutions.
MONEL 400 ®

A Nickel-Copper alloy, resistant to sea water and steam

at high temperatures as well as to salt and caustic
solutions.
Alloy 400 is a nickel-copper alloy with excellent corrosion
resistance in a wide variety of media. The alloy is
characterized by good general corrosion resistance, good
weldability and moderate to high strength. The alloy has
been used in a variety of applications. It has excellent
resistance to rapidly flowing brackish water or seawater. It
is particularly resistant to hydrochloric and hydrofluoric
acids when they are de-aerated. The alloy is slightly
magnetic at room temperature. The alloy is widely used in
the chemical, oil and marine industries.
Copper
Copper is one of the most important metals. Copper is
reddish with a bright metallic lustre. It is malleable,
ductile, and a good conductor of heat and electricity
(second only to silver in electrical conductivity). Its
alloys, brass and bronze, are very important. The most
important compounds are the oxide and the sulphate,
(blue vitriol).
Tin
Ordinary tin is a silvery-white metal, is malleable,
somewhat ductile, and has a highly crystalline structure.
Due to the breaking of these crystals, a "tin cry" is heard
when a bar is bent. The element has two allotropic forms.
On warming, grey, or -tin, with a cubic structure,
changes at 13.2°C into white, or -tin, the ordinary form
of the metal. White tin has a tetragonal structure. When
tin is cooled below 13.2°C, it changes slowly from white
to grey. This change is affected by impurities such as
aluminium and zinc, and can be prevented by small
additions of antimony or bismuth.
Used to coat other metals to prevent corrosion or other
chemical action (tin cans are made from tin coated steel)
Lead
Lead is a bluish-white lustrous metal. It is very soft,
highly malleable, ductile, and a relatively poor conductor
of electricity. It is very resistant to corrosion but
tarnishes upon exposure to air. Lead pipes bearing the
insignia of Roman emperors, used as drains from the
baths, are still in service. Alloys include pewter and
solder. Tetraethyl lead (PbEt4) is still used in some
grades of petrol (gasoline) but is being phased out on
environmental grounds.
Aluminum
Pure aluminium is a silvery-white metal with many
desirable characteristics. It is light, nontoxic (as the
metal), nonmagnetic and nonsparking. It is somewhat
decorative. It is easily formed, machined, and cast. Pure
aluminium is soft and lacks strength, but alloys with small
amounts of copper, magnesium, silicon, manganese, and
other elements have very useful properties. Aluminium is
an abundant element in the earth's crust, but it is not
found free in nature. The Bayer process is used to refine
aluminium from bauxite, an aluminium ore.
Cadmium
Cadmium is a soft, bluish-white metal and is easily cut
with a knife. It is similar in many respects to zinc.
Interestingly, aa characteristic cadmium "scream" is
heard on bending a cadmium bar (such as that
illustrated above). Cadmium and its compounds are
highly toxic. Silver solder, which contains cadmium,
should be handled with care.
Rather like zinc, cadmium is used to a small extent as
coatings (often achieved by electroplating) to protect
metals such as iron. Its use is restricted because of
environmental concerns. Cadmium is a component of Ni-
Cd batteries.
Zinc
Zinc is a bluish-white, lustrous metal. It is brittle at
ambient temperatures but is malleable at 100 to 150°C.
It is a reasonable conductor of electricity, and burns in
air at high red heat with evolution of white clouds of
the oxide.
A large proportion of all zinc, perhaps more than a
third, is used used to galvanize metals such as iron so
as to prevent corrosion. Typically this involves dipping
the object to be coated in molten zinc for a short time
but electroplating or paining methods are also used.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a grayish-white, fairly tough metal.
Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element in the
earth's crust although not found in it's elemental form.
Magnesium tarnishes slightly in air, and finely divided
magnesium readily ignites upon heating in air and burns
with a dazzling white flame. Normally magnesium is
coated with a layer of oxide, MgO, that protects
magnesium from air and water. it is lighter than
aluminium, and is used in alloys used for aircraft, car
engine casings,