Proerties of metal and non metals Flashcards
Wherabouts are metals found on the periodic table
To the left of the zigzag
Metals are conductors- what do they conduct?
Electricity and heat
Metals have some free electrons which can move between the atoms and can carry a current from one end to another or transfer heat energy
Describe how metals are ductile
They can be drawn out into wires
They can bend and stretch
Explain how metals are malleable
Their atoms can slide over each other which allows then to be hammered into thin sheets or bent without shattering
Explain why metals make tough building materials
There are strong forces between the atoms which gives them high tensile strength
This means they can be pulled without breaking
Why are metals shiny?
The light reflects from the smooth surface of freshly cut or polished metals making them shiny
Explain why metals have high melting or boiling points
Metals have strong forces holding their atoms together
A lot of heat energy is needed to break the bonds and make them melt, even more to make them boil.
Only mercury is liquid at room temperature all other metals are solid
Explain why metals have high densities
Metals have a lot of atoms tightly packed into a small volume which makes them very dense.
Identify which metals are magnetic
Iron
Nickel
Cobalt
or any alloy of these 3 such as steel
What is an alloy
A combination of two or more metals
Give a practical example of the use of an alloy
Making car wheels
Lighter weaker metal is combined with heavier stronger metal to make an alloy which is light but strong
Explain how metals conduct heat
The particles of a metal are packed tightly together
Heat makes the particles vibrate more strongly
The vibrations pass along the metal
Free electrons also help to transfer heat energy
Explain how metals conduct electricity
An electrical current is the flow of an electrical charge around a circuit
Metals allow an electric charge to pass through them
The moving charges are negatively charged electrons
Metals contain free electrons which carry the current from one end to another
What does a metal produce when it reacts with oxygen
A metal oxide which is a base
A base reacts with an acid to make the metal salt plus water.
Whereabouts on the periodic table are non metals found
To the right of the zigzag
Explain why non metals are poor conductors of electricity
The atoms of a non metal are arranged so that electrons can’t pass through them
If there is no flow of electrons there is no electric current.
This means that they are insulators they don’t conduct electricity.
Explain why non metals are poor conductors of heat
If you heat one end of a non metal the heat doesn’t pass through to the other end.
This is because the hot particles do not pass their vibrations very well
This makes non metals good thermal insulators.
What is the one exception to the rule that non metals do not conduct electricity
Graphite a form of carbon
Because it is arranged in layers electrons can pass through it
Explain why non metals are not strong or hard wearing
The forces between the atoms are weak which means that they break easily
Explain why non metals are dull
Their surfaces are not smooth so they don’t reflect light very well
Explain why non metals are brittle
The atoms in the structure are held together by weak forces so they can shatter easily
Explain why non metals have low melting and boiling points
The atoms in the structure are held together by weak forces so they do not need much heat to break down.
This means that they melt and boil easily.
Many non metals are gases at room temperature
Some non metals are solid at room temperature
Only bromine is a gas at room temperature
Explain why non metals have low densities
Many non metals are gases so they have very low densities as there are few particles packed into a space
Even the solid and liquid ones have low densities
Are there any magnetic non metals
NO
Only the metals iron cobalt and nickel are magnetic
