Chapter 4 Materials: Metals and Non-Metals Notes

  • Properties of metals and nonmetals:
    Property Metals Nonmetals
    Lustre [shine] Have lustre Do not have lustre
    Hardness Are hard Are soft
    Malleability [beaten into sheet] Are malleable Do not have property of malleability
    Ductility [drawn into wires] Are ductile Do not have property of ductility
    Sonorous [produce sound] Are sonorous Not sonorous
    Heat conduction Good conductor of heat Bad conductor of heat
    Electricity conduction Good conductor of electricity Bad conductor of electricity
  • Exception in metals and non metals:
    • Among metals, sodium and potassium are soft.
    • All metals are solid, only mercury is liquid metal
    • Among non metals, Iodine is lustrous
    • Hardest substance diamond is non metal
  • Chemical properties of metals and nonmetals:
    • Reaction of metals with oxygen
      • Oxygen + Metals ⟶ Metal Oxide
      • E.g. Iron if exposed to air and water forms is iron oxide (rust).
      • Iron (Fe) + Oxygen (O2) + Water (H2O) → Rust (Fe3O4) + Hydrogen (H2)
    • Reaction of nonmetals with oxygen
      • Oxygen + Non metals ⟶ Acidic oxides
      • E.g. Sulphur in air forms sulphur dioxide. It dissolves in water forming sulphurous acid.
      • Sulphur (S) + Oxygen (O2) → SO2
      • Sulphur dioxide (SO2) + Water (H2O) → Sulphurous acid (H2SO3)
    • Reaction of metals and non metals with water
      • Metals react with water to form alkaline solution with release of energy in the form of heat
      • Non metals do not react with water
    • Metals react with acids to form hydrogen gas
      • Metals + Acids ⟶ Hydrogen gas
    • Non metals do not react with acids.
    • Reactivity of metals and non metals with bases
      • Metals react with bases produces hydrogen gas
      • Reaction of nonmetals with bases are complex
    • Displacement reaction : It is displacement of one metal from another metal from its compound in aqueous solution. It is represented as
      XY + Z ⟶ ZY + X
      E.g. CuSO4 + Zn→ ZnSO4 + Cu
  • Uses of metals
    • Iron is used for making utensils, pipes, gates, agricultural equipments, iron nails, etc
    • Copper is used to make electric wires, alloys, utensils and in process of electroplating
    • Aluminium is used for making electric wires, aircraft parts, alloys, paints, etc.
    • Gold and silver is used to make gift coins and jewellery. Silver is used in making high reflecting mirrors, solar cells, decoration of sweets, etc
  • Uses of non metals
    • Oxygen is necessary for the process of respiration and combustion reactions
    • Nitrogen is used to prepare fertilizers
    • Chlorine is used in water purification, chlorine compounds (bleaching powder) is used for cleaning purposes in textile industry, cloths, wool, etc.
    • Red phosphorus is used in the manufacture of match sticks and firecrackers.
    • Solution of iodine in alcohol (tincture iodine) is used as an antiseptic and in healing wounds.