CHAPTER 6– SUBSTANCES

6.1 ELEMENTS
 ATOMS

• Atoms are building blocks of anything in the universe

• There are only about 100 types of atoms, but these can be
arranged in different combinations to create a countless number
of different substances
• Atoms are round, tiny balls. They are so small that scientists
must use a scanning tunnelling microscope
 ELEMENTS

• Elements are substances made up of only one type of atom

• Each element has a unique set of characteristics that scientists refer to as
properties
• These properties determine whether an element is metallic or non-metallic
 METALLIC ELEMENTS

• Aluminium, iron, mercury, gold, silver are all metallic elements

• Properties of metallic elements:
• Tend to be shiny or can be polished to make them shiny. Known as being lustrous
• Are solid at room temperature (except mercury which is liquid)
• Good conductors of heat and electricity
• Can be bent or hammered into sheets (malleable)
• Can be stretched into wires (ductile)
 NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS

• Tend to have lower melting and boiling points than metals and tend to be solids
or gases at room temperature
• Tend to be dull (not shiny)
• Don’t conduct heat or electricity
• Break or crumble when you bend them (brittle)
P E R I O D I C TA B L E
 ATOMS IN ELEMENTS

• Elements are made up of only one type of atom, but these atoms can be
arranged in different ways
• As single atoms
• In clusters of atoms (molecules)
• In large grid-like structures called crystal lattices
 MONOATOMIC ELEMENTS

• An element that is made up of many individual atoms is monoatomic

• For example, helium
 MOLECULAR ELEMENTS

• Most non-metallic elements are made up of molecules

• Molecules are clusters of 2 or more atoms bonded together
• In a molecular element, all the molecules are identical, same size,
shape, number and type of atoms
 CRYSTAL LATTICES

• Large gridlike structures that repeat the

same arrangement of atoms over and over
• All metals form crystal lattices
• Only some non-metallic atoms form
lattices, such as carbon