Chapter 1

Metals
Classification & Properties

METALS
A metal may be defined as a chemical element that possesses
Metallic properties
Metals are

Solid at room temperature, except

mercury, which is liquid !

Metals have

very high melting point.

Metals are

shiny when they cut.

Metals are

good conductors of heat and electricity.

Metals are

usually strong & malleable so they can be

hammered into shape.

METALS

METALS

METALS

METALS
Ferrous
Alloys
Containing iron &
mixture of
almost all are
metals, or a
magnetic.
metal & small
e.g. mild-steel,
amount of
cast-iron, toolsubstance
Steel etc.

Non-Ferrous
Do not contain iron.

e.g. aluminium,
copper, silver, gold,
lid, tin etc.
other

METALS
METALS & ALLOYS
Metals are available in pure or alloy form.
Pure Metals such as pure aluminium or pure copper, contain only one
type of metal. They are not mixed with any other metal.
Alloys are mixture of two or more pure metals.
Alloys tend to have better strength properties than pure metals.
Alloys and pure metals often have special physical properties.

PROPERTIES OF METALS
Physical Properties
Properties that can be observed without making any chemical
changes to the substance.
Determined by the atomic structure of the substance and the
strength of the bonds

Mechanical Properties
Properties are exhibited by the metal when a force or stress acts
on it.
These properties are used as measurements of how metals
behave under a load.

Chemical Properties
Characteristic responses of materials in chemical environment.
Corrosion resistance and resistance to acids and alkalies are
examples of chemical properties.

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

State Most metals are solid in natural state except Mercury.

Color Most metals are silvery in color, except copper and gold.

Lustrous Most metals exhibit shiny nature when they are cut or
sliced.

Density mass/unit volume. Metals usually have a very high

density.

Conductivity the ability of the substance to transmit electricity or

heat. Metals have usually high conductivity.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

1.Strength
Strength is the property that enables a metal to resist deformation
under load. The ultimate strength is the maximum load a material
can withstand.
Tensile strength is a measurement of the resistance to being pulled
apart when placed in a tension load.
Fatigue strength is the ability of material to resist various kinds of
rapidly changing stresses.
Impact strength is the ability of a metal to resist suddenly applied
loads.

2. Toughness
A characteristic of a material that does not break or shatter when
receiving a blow or under a sudden shock

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

3.

Hardness
The ability of a material to resist scratching, wear and tear &
indentation.

4.

Elasticity
The ability of a material to absorb force and flex in different
directions, returning to its original position.
Theoretically, the elastic limit of a material is the limit to which a
material can be loaded and still recover its original shape after the
load is removed.

5.

Plasticity
The ability of a material to be change in shape permanently.
This property is the opposite of strength. By careful alloying of
metals, the combination of plasticity and strength is used to
manufacture large structural members

6.

Ductility
The ability of a material to change shape (deform) usually by

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

7.

Malleability
Malleability is the property that enables a material to deform by
compressive forces without developing defects.
A malleable material is one that can be stamped, hammered, forged,
pressed, or rolled into thin sheets.

8.

Sonorous
Metals make a ringing sound when they are struck.

9.

High boiling points

Most metals have very very high boiling points.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

10. Brittleness
This property is opposite to toughness.
Tendency of a material to fracture or fail upon the application of a
relatively small amount of force, impact, or shock .

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

Metals are Electropositive Elements
Metals tend to loose electrons easily and form positively charged
ions; Therefore metals are called electropositive elements.
Eg: Sodium metal forms sodium ions Na+, Mg forms positively
charged Magnesium ions Mg2+and aluminium forms aluminium
ions Al3+.
The electropositive nature allows metals to form compounds with
other elements easily.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

Reaction with oxygen
Metals react with oxygen (present in air) to form their respective
oxides which gives a dull appearance for them.
Metals like sodium (Na) and potassium (K) are some of the most
reactive metals. Potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium and
magnesium react with oxygen and burn in air.
Metals from aluminium to copper in the activity series of metals,
react slowly when heated in air to form the metal oxides.
Aluminium is the fastest and copper is the slowest of them.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

Reaction with water
Metals react with water to form their respective hydroxides with
liberation of hydrogen gas.
Sodium reacts vigorously with cold water forming sodium
hydroxide and hydrogen.
Metals from magnesium to iron in the activity series of metals,
react with steam (but not water) to form the metal oxide and
hydrogen gas.
Red hot iron reacts with steam to form Iron (II, III) oxide.
Tin, lead, copper, silver, gold and platinum do not react with water
or steam

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

Reaction with Acids
Metals react with dilute H2SO4 and HCl forming metal salt (either
sulphate or chloride) and hydrogen gas. The reaction is similar to
the reaction with water.
Potassium, sodium, lithium and calcium react violently with dilute
H2SO4 and dilute HCl.
Magnesium, aluminium, zinc, iron, tin and lead react slowly with
dilute acid. Magnesium is the fastest and lead is the slowest.
Generally the reactivity decreases down the activity list.
In general,
Hydrochloric acid makes a metal chloride.
Sulphuric acid makes a metal sulphate.
Reactions with nitric acid are more complex, the nitrate is
formed but the gas is rarely hydrogen, and more often, an
oxide of nitrogen.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF METALS

Reaction with Salt Solutions
Reactive metals can displace any metal less reactive than itself,
from the oxide, chloride or sulphate of the less reactive metal in
solution or their molten state.