Physical Properties of Metals
Property
Statement
Application
melting point
Solid at room
temperature (except Hg)
Hg used in
thermometers
density
Vary from less than
water (sodium) to very
dense (lead)
Al used in aircraft
because of low density
thermal
conductivity
All metals conduct heat
well
Al and stainless steel
used in cooking pans
malleability
Metals ca be bent into
different shapes
Car bodies made of flat
steel sheets
strength
Some metals are strong
Iron used to make
girders and reinforce
concrete
electrical
conductivity
All good conductors as
solid or liquid
Cu and Al used to make
electrical wires
Alloys
The properties of metals can be improved by making
them into metals. For example, aluminium is very
lightweight and so would be ideal for making
aeroplanes. However, it isn’t strong enough to hold
passengers and their luggage.
An alloy is formed when two or more metals or metals
with non-metals are mixed together.
Alloys are usually made by melting the mixture and then
allowing it to cool until it has solidified.
An alloy enhances the properties of a metal to make it
more useful. Alnico (alloy made of aluminium, nickel
and cobalt) keeps the lightweight property but adding the
other metals makes it much stronger.
Examples of Alloys
Name of Alloy
Metals present
Uses
brass
bronze
copper and zinc Door handles
and fittings
copper and tin statues
solder
tin and lead
stainless steel
Iron, chromium
and nickel
Soldering
metals together
Cutlery, kitchen
sinks
Reactivity of Metals
• A list that places metals in order of their
readiness to take part in chemical
reactions
• Reactive metals are at the top and
unreactive metals are at the bottom
• Reactions with oxygen, water and dilute
acid can be used to put metals in order
• The speed of a reaction can determine
reactivity
How do I remember the Reactivity
Series
• Use your data booklet – same as the
Electrochemical Series except for the first
4. Remember the first 4 by using:
Pupils
potassium
So
Love Chemistry
sodium
lithium
or
calcium
• Remember the following mnemonic:
Please Send Lazy Charlie
potassium
sodium
McLean A
magnesium
aluminium
lithium
calcium
Zebra If
zinc
The
iron
tin
Lean Horse Can’t Munch
lead
hydrogen* copper
mercury
Sweet Green Plants
silver
gold
platinum
* Hydrogen is a non metal but you will see why it is
included in Unit 4B
Metals as Resources
• We obtain metals from rocks in the Earth known
as metal ores.
• An ore is a naturally occurring compound of a
metal e.g iron ore contains iron oxide
• Extraction involves obtaining a metal from its
ore
• Metals are often recycled as we have a finite
(limited) supply
• Unreactive metals can be found on Earth as the
metals themselves. They are uncombined i.e
have not formed compounds e.g gold and
silver
The date of
discovery of a metal
The cost of a
metal
The value of
recycling a metal
Can be related to two factors
Whether it occurs
naturally as an element
or how easily it is
extracted from its ores
i.e how reactive it is
How abundant
(how plentiful)
it is
• Silver and gold have been known since
earliest civilisation because they are
unreactive and so were found uncombined
• Aluminium and magnesium were not
discovered until the nineteenth century
since they are quite reactive and very
difficult to extract from their ores
• The cost of recycling aluminium is less
than the cost of extracting aluminium from
its ore
Production of Iron from its Iron Ore
• In industry, this is carried out in a blast
furnace
CO removes oxygen from iron ore
Fe2O3 + 3CO
bell valve
coke
2Fe + 3CO2
waste gases
CO2 reacts with carbon to form CO
CO2
+
C
Coke burns in the blasts of hot air to
form CO2
C +
O2
iron ore, coke
and limestone
2CO
o
1500 C
pre-heated air
CO2
molten slag
molten iron