Metals and Non-metals
Physical properties of metals and non-metals
Compare the physical properties of metals and non-metals.
Think of a temple bell, a steel tumbler, the thin silver varq on a sweet, and the copper wire inside a cable. Each one shows a property of metals:
| Property | Means | Everyday example |
|---|---|---|
| Lustrous | shiny when freshly cut or polished | a new steel tumbler |
| Malleable | can be beaten into thin sheets | silver varq, aluminium foil |
| Ductile | can be drawn into wires | copper wire; 1 g of gold makes about 2 km of wire |
| Conducts heat | heat passes through easily | cooking pots |
| Conducts electricity | current passes through | electric wires |
| Sonorous | rings when struck | school and temple bells |
The best conductors of heat are silver and copper. Lead and mercury conduct heat comparatively poorly. Electric wires are coated with plastic or rubber because metals carry current so well.
Non-metals are mostly the opposite. Carbon, sulphur and iodine are solids; oxygen and hydrogen are gases; bromine is a liquid. They are usually dull, brittle (they break when hammered) and don't conduct heat or electricity.
Learn the exceptions: they are where questions come from.
- Mercury is a metal but a liquid at room temperature.
- Sodium and potassium are so soft you can cut them with a knife.
- Gallium and caesium melt if you hold them on your palm.
- Iodine is a non-metal but shiny.
- Graphite (a form of carbon) conducts electricity.
- Diamond (also carbon) is the hardest natural substance.
So you can't sort elements by one property alone. Chemists also look at how they react: that is the next lesson.
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