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METALS
Physical properties

 Metals are usually hard & shiny in appearance when freshly cut/polished.
 They ares solid at room temperature except mercury (Hg).
 They are malleable (ie can be shaped)-due to force of attractions between metal ions and sea of
electrons.
 They are ductile (ie. can be drawn into wires) due to metallic bond between metal ions and sea of
electrons.
 Sonorous (ie. produce a sonorous sound when beaten) due to metallic bond between metal ions
and sea of electrons.
 Have high melting and boiling points due to strong metallic bond.
 They are good conductors of heat and electricity due to sea / pool / ocean of delocalized electrons
which carry charge
 Can form mixtures called alloys.

Chemical properties
 Metals lose electrons to form positively charged ions (cations). Because they are electropositive
and they undergo oxidation
e.g. Cu Cu2+ + 2e-

 Most metals (MaZIT) react with acids to produce hydrogen gas

e.g. Mg + H2 SO4 MgSO4 + H2

 Metals form basic / amphoteric oxides when they react with oxygen (oxidation)
e.g. (a) 2Ca + O2 2CaO (basic oxide)
(b) 2Zn + O2 2ZnO (amphoteric oxide)

NB: Basic oxides dissolve in water to form alkalis

e.g. CaO + H2 O Ca(OH)2

 Metals react with non-metals forming ionic compounds

e.g. 2Na + Cl2 2NaCl

 More reactive metals react with water forming alkali and hydrogen gas
e.g. 2K + 2H2O 2KOH + H2

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ALLOYS
Alloy is a mixture of a metal and one or more other elements (i.e. it can be a two or more metals or a
metal and non-metal).
e.g Brass (Copper + Zinc)
Bronze (Copper + Tin)

Why make alloys?

 To improve the strength & hardness of pure metals e.g. Steel is stronger than pure iron metal.
This is because the atoms of alloying elements prevent the atoms of a pure metal to easily slide
across each other when pressure is applied on the metal as shown below.

 To improve the resistance to corrosion & rusting.

 To improve magnetic properties e.g. AlNiCo makes good electromagnets than pure Aliminium
metal.
 To improve working properties e.g. Bronze can be easily shaped than pure metals.

Composition & uses of some common Alloys

Alloy Composition Uses

Bronze Cu + Sn Making bells, swords, medals and ship propellers.

Brass Cu + Zn Making locks, pins of power plugs, medals and musical

instruments.
Mild steel Fe + C Making car bodies, large structures like bridges and building
construction.
Stainless steel Fe + Cr + Ni Cutlery, kitchen sinks and surgical instruments.

Duralumin Al + Cu + Mg + Mn + Fe Making airplane bodies, motorcar engines, and alloy wheels

like in bicycles.
Alnico Al + Ni + Co + Fe Making electromagnets.

Magnalium Mg + Al Metal mesh for windows, racing bikes, metal mirrors and
scientific instruments
Pewter Sn + Sb + Ag Making pewter ware, plaques and ornaments.

Solder Pb + Sn Used to join different metals together

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THE REACTIVITY or ELECTROCHEMICAL SERIES

 It is a series of metals arranged according to their reactivity with other substances like
water and dilute acids.

Element Trend in Reaction rate with Reaction rate with

reactivity water dilute acid
K Most Violently & explosively Explosive
Na reactive Vigorously Explosive
Ca Fairly fast Fast
Mg Reactivity Fast with steam Fast
Al No reaction No reaction
*C
Zn decreases Slow rxn with steam Slow reaction
Fe Very slow rxn with steam Slow reaction
*H down
Pb No reaction No reaction
Cu Least No reaction No reaction
Ag reactive No reaction No reaction
Au No reaction No reaction

To remember the reactivity series more easily, try this mneumonic.

Katty’s Naughty Cat Mingle with Alice and Zarina; Fearlessly Harassing and Plundering her Cupboard
of Silver and Gold.

The bolded letters are the symbols of elements in the reactivity series except for carbon. Silver and Gold
are used in full, and lead with the first letter ‘P’.

The Apparent Unreactiveness of Aluminium

Although aluminium is placed high above zinc and iron in the reactivity series, it does not reac with
water, steam and dilute acids. The question is why?
 This is because a piece of aluminium is always coated with an invisible protective layer
of aluminium oxide which protects it from further reactions. If this layer is removed, for
example by dipping it in aqueous sodium hydroxide, it can be shown that aluminium is
actually more reactive than zinc and is thus placed above zinc in the reactivity series.

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DISPLACEMENT REACTIONS OF METALS

-A displacement reaction occurs when a more reactive element pushes a less reactive one from its position
in a compound then replaces it with itself.

a) Reduction of Metallic oxides by Carbon and Hydrogen

(i) Metals below Carbon in the reactivity series are less reactive than carbon; hence they can be displaced
by carbon from their oxides (i.e. reduction)

e.g. ZnO(s) + C(s) Zn(s) + CO(g)

Al2 O3(s) + C no reaction

(ii) Metals above Hydrogen in the series will displace hydrogen from cold water, steam or acids.
NB: Metals below hydrogen will not displace hydrogen.

e.g. Na + H2 O(l) NaOH + H2

Mg + H2 O(g) MgO + H2

Experimental set-up

Zn + 2HCl ZnCl2 + H2

Cu + HCl no reaction

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b) Displacement of One Metal by Another

i) Displacement reactions in Metal oxides

i.e. A more reactive metal displace a less reactive one from its oxide.
e.g. 2Al + Fe 2O3 Al2 O3 + 2Fe

ii) Displacement reactions in Aqueous Solutions

i.e. A more reactive metal can displace a less reactive metal from an aqueous solution of its compound.
e.g. Fe(s) + CuSO4(aq) FeSO4(aq) + Cu(s)
blue pale-green red-brown

EXERCISE

1. Complete the equation below and state the expected observations.

Mg(s) + FeCl3(aq) ……………………………………

Observations;………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………….

Write the net ionic equation

……………………………………………………………………………….

2. The following experiments were set up. Three different metal strips of copper, calcium and silver were
dipped into different solutions as shown below:
Cu Ca Ag

AgNO3 Mg(NO3 )2 Ca(NO3 )2

A B C

i) In which beaker was there no reaction?

…………………..

ii) Give reasons for your answer.

……………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………

iii) Construct the equations for the reactions that occurred.

…………………………………………………………………....
……………………………………………………………………

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ACTION OF HEAT ON COMPOUNDS

Heat affects different compounds differently eg. They can undergo…

a) Thermal dissociation- is when a substance decomposes on heating and its products re-combine on
cooling. i.e. Products are not permanent. Their equations is denoted by a
reversible arrow( ⇋ ).

e.g. Ammonium salts

NH4 Cl(s) ⇋ NH3(g) + HCl(g)

b) Thermal decomposition-is when a substance decomposes on heat producing permanent products

i.e. products don’t re-combine on cooling. Their equations is denoted by
a forward arrow( ).

e.g. CuCO3(s) CuO(s) + CO2(g)

ACTION OF HEAT ON METAL CARBONATES, OXIDES,HYDROXIDES AND NITRATES

Stability of compounds to heat depends on their position in the reactivity series. Compounds of more
reactive metals are thermally stable because anions are more tightly bound to the more reactive metal
cations by strong electrostatic forces and are not easily broken down by the heat.

NB: The ease of decomposition by heat increases down the reactivity series.

Metal Carbonates Oxides Hydroxides Nitrates

K -Not decomposed -Not decomposed -Not decomposed O2
decmpose to metal nitrite+
Na (thermally stable) (thermally stable) (thermally stable) e.g 2KNO2 +O2
Ca
-decompose to give -decompose to -decompose to give
Mg
metal oxide and give metal oxide metal oxide,
Al carbon dioxide. and water. nitrogen dioxide
Zn and oxygen
e.g. e.g. CuO(s)
Fe CaCO3(s) CaO(s)+CO2(g) Cu(OH)2(s) +
Pb H2 O(l)
-Not decomposed e.g.
Cu (thermally stable) 2PbO+NO2 +O2
(s) (g) (g)
Hg PbCO3(s) PbO(s)+CO2(g) -decompose to give
Ag metal and oxygen e.g.
2HgO(s) 2Hg(l) + O2(g) 2Ag+2NO2 +O2
Au (s) (g) (g)

Pt 2Ag2 O(s) 4Ag(l)+ O2(g)

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EXTRACTION OF METALS

Most metals are found underground as ores (i.e metal compounds mixed with rocks and sand) on earth.
e.g.
Metal Name of ore Chemical name Chemical formula
Iron Haematite Iron(iii) oxide Fe2 O3
Zinc Zinc-blende Zinc sulphide ZnS
Aluminium Bauxite Aluminium oxide Al2 O3
Magnesium Dolomite Calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg(CO3 )2
Copper Chalcopyrite Copper iron sulphide CuFeS2
Sodium Rock salt Sodium chloride NaCl

To obtain pure metals from their ores, electrolysis is used for more reactive metals and chemical
reduction is used for less reactive metals.

e.g.

a) Extraction of Aluminium
 Aluminium is extracted from its ore called bauxite by electrolysis. This process involves
the following stages;

1. Bauxite, an impure form of aluminium oxide is first treated with sodium hydroxide to obtain pure
aluminium oxide removing impurities such as iron (iii) oxide and sand.

2. The purified Al2 O3 is then dissolved in molten cryolite (Sodium aluminium fluoride, Na 3 AlF6 ).
Cryolite is used to reduce the melting point of Al2 O3 form 2017o C to 800o C-1000o C. i.e. to reduce the
working temperatures. Therefore cryolite provides a considerable saving in the energy requirements of
the process.

3. The molten mixture is then electrolysed in a cell as in the diagram below;

NB: Refer to notes under the topic of electrolysis.

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b) Extraction of Iron
 Iron is found underground in the form of haematite (Fe 2O3 ) and magnetite ores. Iron ore
is mined and chemical reduction is used to extract the metal in the blast furnace.

THE BLAST FURNACE

-it is a large furnace or chamber made of magnesium oxide wall (refractory material) because it is
thermally stable and internal lining of steel.
-mixture of haematite, limestone and coke are introduced at the top.

Reactions in the furnace

 Carbon from coke reacts with oxygen from the hot air giving carbon dioxide gas.
i.e. C + O2 CO2

 Carbon dioxide further reacts with carbon producing carbon monoxide.

i.e. CO2 + C 2CO

 Reduction step: Carbon monoxide reduces iron (iii) oxide to iron

i.e CO(g) + Fe2 O3(s) Fe(l) + CO2(g)

 Molten iron then trickles to the bottom of the furnace because it has high density.
NB: This iron is not pure, it has sand (i.e. silicon dioxide).

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Removal of impurities
Limestone is used to remove impurities.
 Calcium carbonate(limestone) is decomposed by heat producing lime.

i.e. CaCO3(s) CaO(s) + CO2(g)

 Lime reacts with sand producing calcium silicate (slag).

i.e. CaO + SiO2 CaSiO3
Li me Sand Slag

Slag is lighter than iron hence it floats on iron at the bottom of the furnace. It is used for making roads.

Waste Gases
-Nitrogen from air
-Carbon dioxide
-Carbon monoxide

Types of Iron

i) Pig / Cust iron

-it is an impure form of iron with 3-5% Carbon, Silicon,Phosphorus and Sulphur.
-it is brittle and rusts easily.

Uses
-making cooking pots
-making bases of Bunsen burners
Making coal stoves

ii) Wrought iron

-it is the purest form of iron.
-it contains about 99% iron and 1%impurities
-it is malleable

Uses
-making chains
-making nails
-making electromagnets.

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Steel Making
Iron from the blast furnace is not very strong. It has to be alloyed to steel which is stronger and more
resistant to corrosion.

Formation of Steel
 Remove impurities like C, S, Si & P first.
e.g. Carbon & Sulphur are removed by oxidation using oxygen gas forming Carbon dioxide and
Sulphur dioxide and they leave iron as gases.
Silicon & Phosphorus are converted to silicates and phosphates.
 Add alloying elements like Carbon, Chromium and Nickel.

Rusting
-it is the oxidation of iron in the presence of moisture forming compound called rust (iron (iii)
oxide)
moisture
i.e. Fe + O2 Fe2 O3 (rust)-red brown in colour

Methods used to prevent rusting

-Painting
-Oiling
-Galvanizing (i.e coating with Zinc a.k.a Sacrifacial Protection)
-Electroplating
-Tin-plating e.g. in ‘tin cans’.

Uses of Metals related to Properties

Metal Uses Property

Aluminium -making soft drink cans,
electrical cables, cooking pans
and alloys for aircraft bodies.
Copper -making electric wires &
cables, coins and alloys like
brass and bronze.
Iron -making motorcar bodies,
bridges & special steel and
building construction.
Magnesium -making fireworks and alloys
(duralumin) for airplanes.
Tin -making tin-cans, alloys like
bronze, solder and pewter.
Zinc -making galvanized iron, brass
alloy and casing for dry cells.
-it has low density & resistant
to corrosion.
-it is a good conductor of
electricity & corrosion
resistant.
-it is strong, cheap & rusts
easily.
-it is light & strong, burns
easily with brilliant white
light.
-it is strong & corrosion
resistant
-it is more electropositive than
iron.

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PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. (a). State two physical properties and two chemical properties of metals.
(b). Arrange the following metals according to their reactivity, starting from the most
reactive:
zinc, magnesium, lead, sodium, aluminium, and calcium

2. (a). What is an alloy? Give two examples and for each alloy, state one important use.
(b). Explain, with diagrams, why alloys are harder and stronger than pure metals.

3. The table below shows the results of heating the carbonates of three metals and their reaction
with hot carbon.
Metal Metal Carbonate Reaction With Hot Carbon
P Decomposes at about 520o C No reaction
Q No change No reaction
o
R Decomposes at about 150 C Reduced to the metal

(a) What is the order of these metals in the reactivity series? Starting with the most reactive.
(b) Name one metal which could be P, Q and R.

4. the table below shows the displacement reactions of some metals with the aqueous solutions of
their salts.
Solution Magnesium Zinc Lead Silver
Magnesium nitrate - No reaction
Zinc sulphate Zinc displaced -
Lead(ii) nitrate -
Silver nitrate -

(a) Complete the table.

(b) Write an ionic equation with state symbols for any one reaction.

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5. Most metals are used in the form of alloys.

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