Chemistry

• Metals


  • Good conductors of heat and electricity
  • Shiny
  • Solids with a high melting point (except for mercury)
  • Flexible and malleable
• Non-metals


  • Poor conductors of heat and electricity
  • Dull
  • Most are low melting point solids or gases
  • Brittle (break easily instead of bending)
• Chemical properties of metals


  Their reactions with other substances
• Reaction of metals with non-metals

  Metal + non-metal → metal compound
• When naming a compound, the ending of the non-metal is changed to -ide
• Reactive metals


  Metals that react very quickly
• Unreactive metals


  Metals that do not react quickly
• Uses of metals


  • Copper used in electrical wires
  • Copper used for roof sheets
• Catalysts


  Substances that speed up chemical reactions without being used up themselves
• Metals used as catalysts


  • Platinum used in catalytic converters in cars
• Oxidation/Corrosion of metals


  Metal + oxygen → metal oxide
• Rusting is the corrosion of iron
• Rusting


  Iron + water + oxygen → iron hydroxide
• Coating iron with paint, plastic, etc. acts as a barrier to oxygen and water and stops iron rusting
• Reaction of metals with water

  Metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen
• The test for hydrogen gas is that it burns with a 'squeaky pop'