How do metals and nonmetals combine to form compounds?

Question 1

What are most elements in the periodic table?

Answer 1

metals - they are very useful materials because of their properties

Question 2

Why are metals useful?

Answer 2

they are lustrous e.g. gold is used in jewellery

they are hard and have a high density e.g. titanium is used to make steel

they have a high tensile strength

they have high melting and boiling points

they are good conductors of heat and electricity

Question 3

What can metals do?

Answer 3

react with non metals to form ionic compounds

for example, metals react with oxygen to form metal oxides

Question 4

How do metals and non metals combine to make compounds?

Answer 4

metal atoms only have a few electrons in their outer shell but non metal atoms have lots of electrons in their outer shell

this means that metals react with non metals

when a metal reacts with a non metal, electrons transfer from the metal to the non metal - creating oppositely charged ions

Question 5

What forms positive ions - metal or non metal?

Answer 5

metal atoms lose electrons

Question 6

What forms negative ions - metal or non metal?

Answer 6

non metal atoms gain electrons