Name:______________________________________________
Lab: Metals, Nonmetals, & Metalloids
Purpose: students will observe physical and chemical properties of elements, students will differentiate between properties
of metals, nonmetals, and metalloids, and students will determine whether substances are metals, nonmetals, or metalloids
Safety: tie back long hair, wear goggles and aprons, notify the teacher of chemical spills, wash hands when finished with
the lab. Copper nitrate solution and HCl solutions are toxic if ingested and are skin irritants, take caution. Sulfur powder
may cause problems in students with sulfur allergies, be aware of this and take precautions if necessary.
Background information: Metals are elements that are shiny, hard, solid substances that conduct a current, are malleable
and ductile, and react with acid and copper nitrate. Evidence of reacting with acid is bubbling, and evidence of reacting with
copper nitrate would be a color change or the production of a new substance or powder. Non-metals are not shiny, will not
conduct a current, are not malleable or ductile, do not react with acid or copper nitrate, and are quite brittle – shattering
when struck with a hammer. Substances that have some properties of metals and some properties of non-metals are called
metalloids, and they are found on the periodic table between the metals and nonmetals.
Procedure:
1. You must wear goggles and aprons for this procedure.
2. Observe the appearance of each element on your lab station, and record whether it is SHINY LIKE A METAL or
NOT SHINY LIKE A METAL.
3. Use the conductivity apparatus to determine if the substance conducts a current. If the light bulb lights up, the
substance is a conductor. If it does not light up, it is not a conductor and is instead called an insulator. Label the
data table with whether or not each substance is a conductor or insulator.
4. Malleable/brittle: Try to bend each sample. A malleable sample will bend if it's not too thick. Place a small sample
on a paper plate and strike it carefully with a hammer. If a substance is malleable it will dent or flatten, but if it is
brittle it will shatter. Do not hit elements over and over, once or twice is enough to determine malleability.
5. Reactivity with acid: place tiny (the size of popcorn kernels) samples of each substance into wells. DO NOT
LOOK INTO THE WELLS DIRECTLY. Add one pipette-ful of hydrochloric acid. Observe for 5 minutes, filling in
the data table for each element. Substances that bubble and fizz are testing positive for the HCl test and are very
likely to be metals. Wash with a very gentle stream of water into sink, do not let metals go down drain.
7. Clean out the well plate and rinse several times. Place your second sample of each element into the wells. Place
one pipette-ful of copper nitrate over the samplse. Observe for 5 minutes, looking for color changes and the
formation of new substances. Metals often react with copper nitrate, showing a color change or the formation of
new substances. Discard the liquid copper nitrate into the sink but do not let metal bits go down the drain. Rinse
well plate with tap water.
8. Wash your hands. Clean the lab area and get everything ready for next period (throw away powder elements and
keep ONE GOOD PIECE of each element on the plate for next period.
Data table:
Elements to be
tested:
Shiny or not?
(shiny like a
METAL shines)
Malleable or brittle?
Reaction with acid
(Y or N)
Reaction with
copper nitrate (Y or
N)
Conductivity (Y or
N)
Copper
Aluminum Carbon
(charcoal)
Silicon
Sulfur
Magnesium
Zinc
Name:______________________________________________
Use the criteria below to classify each of the elements as metals, nonmetals, or metalloids.
Metals: are shiny, malleable, react with acid and copper nitrate, and are good conductors of electricity
Nonmetals: are not as shiny, are brittle, do not react with acid or copper nitrate, and are not good conductors of electricity.
Metalloids: may have some properties of metals and some properties of nonmetals
***********************************************************************************
For each element below,
circle whether it is a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid.
Copper
Aluminum
Carbon
Silicon
Sulfur
Magnesium
Zinc
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
Metal
Nonmetal
Metalloid
1.
What are properties of metals?
What are properties of nonmetals?
2.
What is a metalloid?
3.
Which substances did you determine were metals? Which substances did you determine were nonmetals?
Metalloids?
4.
Explain what malleable and brittle are, and give examples of substances that have these properties.
5.
What safety precautions did you observe during this lab? List four.
6.
Did any of your elements have unexpected results? If so, explain.
7.
If you were presented with a substance and you did not know if it was a metal, nonmetal, or metalloid, how would
you go about testing to see which one it was?
8.
Explain how you tested to see if the elements could conduct a current.
9.
Which substances were good conductors?