Physical Properties of Metals:
1. Except for mercury (which is liquid), all metals are solids at room temperatureIf something is at room temperature, its temperature is neither hot nor cold. It is a range of air temperatures that most people prefer for indoor settings, usually considered to be... More.
2. Metals are lustrous. They have the quality of reflecting light from their surface and can be polished.
3. Metals are malleable. They can be hammered into thin sheets.
4. Ductility – metals can be drawn into wires.
5. Hardness – All metals are hard (except sodium and potassium) but not brittle.
6. Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity. They are good conductors of electricity because they have free electrons.
7. Metals have relatively high densityDensity is the measurement of how tightly a material is packed together i.e. how closely the particles are packed in the material. The tighter the material is packed the more its... More and are very heavy.
8. Metals have high melting and boiling points.
Chemical Properties of Metals:
1. Nature of Oxides: Metals are elements that form basic or atmospheric oxides with oxygen.
\( \scriptsize Ca_{(s)} \: + O_2 \: \rightarrow \: CaO_{(s)} \)
2. Electropositive Character: Metals have low ionization energies and typically ionize by the loss of electrons. For example, alkali metals lose the electron in s subshell to form +1 oxidation state.
\( \scriptsize Na \ \rightarrow \: Na^+ \: + \: e^- \)
3. Reducing Agents: Metals are reducing agents because they tend to donate their electrons readily during chemical reactions.
4. Reaction with Acid: A metal which is more electropositive than hydrogen readily displaces hydrogen ion from an acid.
5. Reaction of Metals with Water: Active metals react with cold water to form hydroxides and liberate hydrogen gas.
\( \scriptsize K_{(s)} \: + \:H_2O_{(l)} \: \rightarrow \: KOH_{(aq)} \: + \:H_{2(g)} \)
6. Reaction with Hydrogen: Few very reactive metals force hydrogen to accept electrons to form their hydrides. E.g.
\( \scriptsize Na_{(s)} \: + \: \frac{1}{2}H_{2(g)} \: \rightarrow \:NaH_{(s)} \)
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