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Behaviour of Metals
Behaviour of Metals
● Alloys
○ An alloy is a mixture of 2 or more metals or a metal and a nonmetal
○ Alloys often have properties that can be very difficult to the metals they contain, for example
they can have more strength, hardness or resistance to corrosion or extreme temperatures
○ Alloys contain atoms of different sizes, which distorts the normally regular arrangements of
atoms in metals
○ This makes it more difficult for the laters to slide over each other, so alloys are usually much
harder than the pure metal
● Common alloys
○ Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and is much stronger than either metal
○ Alloys of iron with tungsten are extremely hard and resistant to high temperatures
○ Alloys of iron mixed with chromium or nickel are resistant to corrosion
○ Aluminium is mixed with copper, manganese and silicon for aircraft body production as the alloy
is stronger but still has a low density
● Reactivity series
○ The chemistry of the metals is studied by analyzing their reaction with water dilute acid and
oxygen
○ Based on these reaction a reactivity series of metals can be produced
○ The series can be used to place a group if metals in order of reactivity based on the observation
of their reactions with water, acid and oxygen
● Reactivity series
○ Potassium , sodium , lithium, calcium, magnesium, aluminium, carbon, zinc, iron, tin, lead,
hydrogen, copper, silver gold and platinum
● Aluminium although placed high in reactivity series does not react with oxygen because the surface of
aluminium reacts with oxygen in air to form a protective coating of aluminium oxide
● It is tough, unreactive and corrosion resistant therefore prevents aluminium from reacting with water