Metals are very electropositive. Electropositive means they tend to lose electrons and become ions. All atoms want to achieve an octet. Non-metals take in electrons to achieve an octet, while metals give away electrons to achieve an octet.
In the periodic table metals are divided into various types:
For now, we are not going to focus on lanthanoids and Actinoids.
The first two groups in the periodic table are the alkaline metals and the alkaline earth metals. All alkaline metals have a 1+ charge, which means they release 1 electron to attain an octet. All alkaline earth metals have a 2+ charge, which means they release 2 electrons to attain an octet.
Next up, we have the transition metals. The transition metals have a varying number of valence electrons unlike the alkaline and alkaline earth metals.
After this, we have the post-transition metals. The post-transition metals have a pattern in their valence electrons. All group 13 post-transition metals have 3 valence electrons, all group 14 metals have 4 valence electrons, all group 15 have 5 valence electrons, and group 16 metals have 6 valence electrons.
All atoms form bonds with other atoms to attain an octet. Metals do this either by forming ionic bonds or metallic bonds. Metallic bonds are formed between metals and delocalized electrons while ionic bonds are formed between metals and non-metals.
All elements have two types of properties. They are physical and chemical properties.
Physical properties are properties that can be measured and observed.
The chemical properties of an element become evident after observing the chemical reactions of that element.
First, we will start with physical properties:
1. All metals have high boiling and melting points. Metals have high boiling and melting points because the bonds between the electrons and the metal ions are very strong and are hard to break which is the reason a lot of energy is required for phase to change to occur in metals. This explains the reason why metals are normally found in a solid-state at room temperature.
2. The next property is metal conductivity. Metals are great conductors of heat and electricity. When something is a conductor it means it allows the flow of charge. For any substance to conduct heat or electricity it needs to have moving charged particles. Metals are good conductors because they have delocalized electrons that can freely move around the lattice structure and these electrons have a charge, which makes metals good conductors. It is important to understand here that ions are part of a lattice structure and are held together by the bonds, so they can barely move which is why we need the delocalized electrons.
3. The next property we are going to look at is malleability and ductility. Ductility is the property that allows metals to be stretched into wires. In a lattice structure, metal ions are arranged in layers on top of one another. When pressure is applied to this structure. The layers slide over one another and line up to allow the formation of a wire. On the other hand, malleability is the ability to beat metals into sheets. The explanation for this is the same. Since the layers of the lattice structure can slide over one another, we can easily make them into desired shapes.
4. Metals are sonorous. Sonorous means they make a ringing sound when we strike them. Metals are sonorous because of the delocalized electrons in the structure. When a metal is hit, the delocalized electrons receive kinetic energy, and they are able to move rapidly, and this rapid movement produces the ringing sound.
5. Metals are lustrous. Lustrous meaning, they are shiny. Take a metal pot from your kitchen and shine it under the light, you will notice that is extremely shiny. Metals are shiny because of their delocalized electrons. The delocalized electrons in a metal lattice don’t let light pass through the metal and when in contact with light these electrons move and reflect the light back which is which makes the metals lustrous.
All these properties of metals give metals a lot of real-life applications.
For the distribution of electricity, we use wires, and these are usually made of copper. These are made of copper because copper is a good conductor of electricity, and because copper is ductile.
All our kitchens are filled with utensils made of metals. Have you ever wondered why?
We use metals in our kitchen because they have very high melting and boiling point, so they will not melt when heated for cooking, and also because metals are good conductors of heat. Since they are good conductors of heat, the heat from the stove can easily conduct through the vessel and heat the food which allows for faster cooking. Metals are used in a wide range of kitchen utensils and vessels because of their malleability and ductility.
Likewise, metals have various applications which are not just in our houses.
Now we are going to look at the chemical properties of metals.
We discussed earlier that chemical properties are observed during a chemical reaction.
The most prominent chemical properties of metals include:
1. They burn in the presence of oxygen to form oxides.
2. Metal oxides are bases, so they neutralize acids.
3. Hydrogen gas is produced when metals react with acids.
4. Highly reactive metals can react upon the presence of water
To understand these properties, you need an understanding of various other topics, so we won't be discussing that in this article.
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