College of Engineering Education

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Big Picture in Focus: ULO2b. differentiate metals and non-metals by

understanding their characteristics.

Metalanguage

In this section, the most essential principles and concepts relevant to the study of
metals to demonstrate ULO2b will be reviewed. Please refer to these definitions in
case you will encounter difficulty in the in understanding educational concepts.

Actinides any of the series of fifteen metallic elements from actinium (atomic
number 89) to lawrencium (atomic number 103) in the periodic table.
They are all radioactive, the heavier members being extremely
unstable and not of natural occurrence.
Alkali metals the metals in Group 1 of the periodic table of elements
Alkaline earth
metals metals which belong to group 2 in the periodic table
Alloy a mixture of a metal with at least one other element, usually another
metal
Amalgam an alloy of mercury and silver or tin. It is used for dental fillings
because it can be shaped when warm and resists corrosion.
Brass an alloy of copper and zinc; does not tarnish and is used for door
knobs, buttons and musical instruments.
Corrosion a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically-
stable form such as oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide. It is the gradual
destruction of materials by chemical and/or electrochemical reaction
with their environment.
Ductility is a measure of a material's ability to undergo significant plastic
deformation before rupture, which may be expressed as percent
elongation or percent area reduction from a tensile test.

Electrical
conductivity the degree to which a specified material conducts electricity.
Lanthanides are a group of 15 chemical elements, with atomic numbers 57 through
71. All of these elements have one valence electron in the 5d shell.
Luster is a gentle sheen or soft glow, especially that of a partly reflective
surface.

Malleability is a physical property of metals that defines the ability to be

hammered, pressed or rolled into thin sheets without breaking.
Ore a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable
mineral can be profitably extracted.
Reactivity the ease and speed with which an element combines, or reacts, with
other elements and compounds

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Rusting the specific name given to the corrosion of iron; a chemical reaction
between iron, oxygen and water.
Solder an alloy of zinc and lead; is used in electronics to attach components
to circuit boards.
Sonority is a nonbinary phonological feature categorizing sounds into a relative
scale.
Steel an alloy containing iron and other elements
Thermal is the rate at which heat passes through a specified material,
conductivity expressed as the amount of heat that flows per unit time through a
unit area with a temperature gradient of one degree per unit distance.
Transition the elements in Groups 3 through 12 in the periodic table
metals

Essential Knowledge

A metal is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows

a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are
typically malleable (they can be hammered into thin sheets) or ductile (can be drawn
into wires). A metal may be a chemical element such as iron; an alloy such
as stainless steel; or a molecular compound such as polymeric sulfur nitride (Gaffney
& Marley, 2018).
Approximately three-quarters of all known chemical elements are metals. The
most abundant varieties in the Earth’s crust
are aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The vast majority
of metals are found in ores (mineral-bearing substances), but a few such
as copper, gold, platinum, and silver frequently occur in the free state because they
do not readily react with other elements.
Metals are usually crystalline solids. In most cases, they have a relatively
simple crystal structure distinguished by a close packing of atoms and a high degree
of symmetry. Typically, the atoms of metals contain less than half the full complement
of electrons in their outermost shell. Because of this characteristic, metals tend not to
form compounds with each other. They do, however, combine more readily with
nonmetals (e.g., oxygen and sulfur), which generally have more than half the
maximum number of valence electrons.
Metals, as chemical elements, comprise 25% of the Earth's crust and are
present in many aspects of modern life. The strength and resilience of some metals
has led to their frequent use in, for example, high-rise building and bridge construction,
as well as most vehicles, many home appliances, tools, pipes, and railroad
tracks. Precious metals were historically used as coinage, but in the modern
era, coinage metals have extended to at least 23 of the chemical elements (Roe,
1992).

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Physical Properties

The physical properties of metals include shininess/luster, malleability, ductility,

and conductivity. A malleable material is one that can be hammered or rolled into flat
sheets and other shapes. A ductile material is one that can be pulled out, or drawn,
into a long wire. For example, copper can be made into thin sheets and wire because
it is malleable and ductile. Conductivity is the ability of an object to transfer heat or
electricity to another object. Most metals are good conductors. In addition, a few
metals are magnetic. For example, iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), and nickel (Ni) are attracted
to magnets and can be made into magnets. Most metals are also solids at room
temperature. However, one metal—mercury (Hg)—is a liquid at room temperature
(Holleman & Wiberg, 2001).

Chemical Properties

The ease and speed with which an element combines, or reacts, with other
elements and compounds is called its reactivity. Metals usually react by losing
electrons to other atoms. Some metals are very reactive. For example, you read that
sodium (Na) reacts strongly when exposed to air or water. To prevent a reaction,
sodium and metals like it must be stored under oil in sealed containers. By comparison,
gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) are valued for their lack of reactivity and because they are
rare. The reactivities of other metals fall somewhere between those of sodium and
gold. Iron, for example, reacts slowly with oxygen in the air, forming iron oxide, or rust.
If iron is not protected by paint or plated with another metal, it will slowly turn to reddish-
brown rust. The destruction of a metal through this process is called corrosion
(Mortimer, 1975).

Corrosion
Corrosion is the gradual destruction of a metal due to reactions with other
chemicals in its environment. Over time, corrosion changes the appearance of the
metal as it breaks down and it becomes weaker. Corrosion can seriously damage
metallic objects and structures. Coating the surface of a metal with paint and certain
chemicals can protect it from corrosion.

Figure 1. Example of corrosion.

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Do all metals corrode?

Metals behave differently when exposed to the environment. Gold is an
unreactive metal and does not corrode easily. In many cultures, gold is considered a
precious metal and is used to make sacred and decorative objects. Items made from
gold can survive for thousands of years and have even been found in good condition
underwater. In general, objects made from metals that corrode easily do not survive
for as long.
Why doesn’t aluminum corrode?
Aluminum is a very reactive metal. However, it does not corrode in the presence
of oxygen. The outer aluminum atoms react with oxygen in the atmosphere. This forms
a thin layer of aluminum oxide on the metal’s surface, which protects the metal from
corrosion.

Figure 2. Mechanism why aluminum doesn’t corrode.

What is rusting?
Rusting is the specific name given to the corrosion of iron. It is a chemical
reaction between iron, oxygen and water. The chemical name for rust is hydrated iron
oxide. Rust can form on cars and buildings, making them unsafe. It is an expensive
problem. Salt can increase the rate of rusting. This iron bolt is on a seaside structure
and is nearly completely corroded.
𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛 + 𝑜𝑥𝑦𝑔𝑒𝑛 + 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 → ℎ𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑥𝑖𝑑𝑒

Metals in the Periodic Table

The metals in a group, or family, have similar properties, and these family
properties change gradually as you move across the table (Walther, 2013).

The reactivity of metals tends to decrease as you move from left to right across
the periodic table.

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Alkali Metal
The metals in Group 1, from lithium to francium, are called the alkali metals.
They have low melting point and boiling point compared to other metals. They are
very soft and cut easily by knife. Also, they have low densities. The alkali metals
have the high thermal and electrical conductivity, ductility, and malleability that are
characteristics of a metal. Every alkali metal atom has a single electron in its
outermost shell. Sodium, Lithium, Potassium, Rubidium, and Cesium are Alkali
Metals.
Alkaline Earth Metal
The Alkaline Earth Metals are all of the elements in the second column (column
2A) of the periodic table. Beryllium, Magnesium, Calcium, Strontium, Barium, and
Radium belong to this group. These metals have two electrons in their outermost
electron layer. Alkaline Earth Metals in their pure forms are generally shiny and
silvery.
Transition Metals
Transition metals are the elements that feature atoms that have an incomplete
d sub-shell. D-block simply implies that the element d-blocks are the final element
to build up all accords to building up principle. They give off electrons from their
outer s orbital but mostly they lose electrons on d orbital. They are unique from all
other elements because of their common properties. One property is they form a
lot of compounds in a quite amount few states of oxidation. Another property is
they are famous for their tendency to form a lot of paramagnetic compounds. This
is mainly due to their low reactivity of their d unpaired electrons (Yonezawa, 2017).
For the most part they are good source of conductors. They are malleable,
ductile, lustrous & silver-white in color. But exception of it is the copper which is
brownish red in color.
A great characteristic is they easily mix. The reason for it is because they have
the same atomic size. This results in more proficient mixture of one another in a
crystal lattice. When two or more metals mix or replace each other, we call the new
name of a metal an alloy.
They can be found anywhere on earth at various amount. They are mostly not
found on pure substance, but rather on the certain compounds on earth’s crust.
This signifies that we need to extract the metals on an existing compound in one
or two ways: pyrometallurgical which uses high temperature and
hydrometallurgical which uses aqueous solution.
They can also be sold at higher prices because of their rarity on the market.
One of the examples is the gold which is also known as shining dawn.
Lanthanides
Two rows of elements are placed below the main part of the periodic table. This
makes the table more compact. The elements in the top row are called the

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lanthanides. Lanthanides are soft, malleable, shiny metals with high conductivity.
They are mixed with more common metals to make alloys. An alloy is a mixture of
a metal with at least one other element, usually another metal. Different
lanthanides are usually found together in nature. They are difficult to separate from
one another because they all share very similar properties.
Actinides
Actinides are composed of 15 elements which ranges from number 89 to 103,
which are composed from actinium to lawrencium. The name of this certain metal
derives from its first element which is the actinium. While mostly of the actinides
are synthetic elements, small amount of uranium and thorium can be found on
nature. Another property that is possessed by these elements is radioactivity.
Examples are the plutonium, thorium and uranium which are utilized on building
nuclear reactors or weapons.
For many years the chemical elements reach its bottleneck and ended with a
number of 92, uranium. The scientists are uncertain of whether there is any other
heavy element than uranium. Until a discovery made by the scientists of University
of California physicists by Edwin McMillan (1907–1991) and Philip Abelson (1913–
2004) on their study on nuclear fission. (Nuclear fission is the splitting of an atomic
nucleus, a process that releases large amounts of energy. Atomic bombs and
nuclear power plants operate on nuclear fission.). During their experiments on
nuclear fission, they found new evidence that support the research of another
heavier element with an atomic number of 94. They have found new elements
which are the transuranium elements heavier than uranium. The first discovery
named as neptunium, comes from the planet Neptune. Just as the name uranium
derives from Uranus. Later on another discovery of transuranium found which is
the plutonium, which was named after Pluto. Later on more discoveries founded
on transuranium: americium (number 95) and curium (number 96) in 1944;
berkelium (number 97) in 1949; californium (number 98) in 1950; einsteinium
(number 99) and fermium (number 100) in 1952; mendelevium (number 101) in
1955; nobelium (number 102) in 1958; and lawrencium (number 103) in 1961.
Metalloids

They often create amphoteric oxides and behave in the same manner as
semiconductors. The usually considered elements on this group are boron, silicon,
germanium, arsenic, antimony & tellurium. They more likely behave as non-metals
when they cooperate with metals and behave as metals when they react with non-
metals. Hence, they are known as semi-metals. The uncommon elements
polonium and astatine are sometimes considered as metalloids.

Other metals
They are metals that can be based on two criterion: Each of these elements
can be classified as a metal or a non-metal based on the characteristics on their
general chemical and physical properties. These are group of elements that can

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be found on the right corner of the transition metals on periodic table and also
known as the post-transition metals. The elements classed as "other metals"
generally have the following properties in common: strong, ductile and malleable,
good conductors of heat and electricity, have a relative high density, and opaque.
Alloys
An alloy is a mixture of a metal with at least one other element. Steel is a
common example of an alloy. It contains iron mixed with carbon and other elements.
Adding other elements to a metal changes its structure and so changes its properties.
The final alloy may have very different properties to the original metal. By changing
the amount of each element in an alloy, material scientists can custom-make alloys to
fit a given job (Shamsuddin, 2016).
Alloys have been used for thousands of years. Bronze, an alloy of copper and
tin, was commonly used by civilizations before iron extraction methods were
developed. Other well-known alloys include:
⚫ brass: an alloy of copper and zinc. It does not tarnish and is used for door
knobs, buttons and musical instruments.
⚫ solder: an alloy of zinc and lead. It is used in electronics to attach components
to circuit boards.
⚫ amalgam: an alloy of mercury and silver or tin. It is used for dental fillings
because it can be shaped when warm and resists corrosion.
Is gold an alloy?
Although pure gold is sometimes used in electronics, gold jewellery is always
a mixture of gold and other metals. Pure gold is actually quite soft. Adding small
amounts of other metals makes the gold hard enough to use in jewellery. Alloying gold
with different metals also affects its colour. The familiar yellow gold is an alloy of gold
with copper and silver. Adding more copper than silver gives redder shades. White
gold is an alloy of gold with nickel, platinum or palladium. Around 12% of people may
be allergic to the nickel in white gold.
When is a copper coin not a copper coin?
A copper coin is not a copper coin when it is a copper-coated alloy!
Copper coins used to be made from pure copper but most ‘copper’ coins used
around the world are now made from copper alloys. Previously, as the value of copper
increased, the metal used to make the coin became worth more than the actual coins.
A melted-down, pure copper coin could have been sold for more than the face value
of the coin! Since 1992, UK copper coins have been made from copper-plated steel
and are magnetic. A magnet can be used to separate copper coins by age.
What is steel?
Steel is an alloy of iron and other elements, including carbon, nickel and
chromium. Steel is stronger than pure iron and can be used for everything from sauce
pans to suspension bridges. The atoms in pure iron are arranged in densely-packed
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layers. These layers can slide over each other. This makes pure iron a very soft
material. The atoms of other elements are different sizes. When other elements are
added to iron, their atoms distort the regular structure of the iron atoms. It is more
difficult for the layers of iron atoms in steel to slide over each other and so this alloy is
stronger than pure iron.

Figure 3. Sauce pan.

Figure 4. Suspension bridge.

Steel can contain up to 2% carbon. Varying the amount of carbon gives steel
different properties. For example, a higher carbon content makes a hard steel.
Different types of steel are classified by how much carbon they contain.
⚫ low carbon steel contains less than 0.25% carbon
⚫ high carbon steel contains more than 0.5% carbon.
Two other important types of steel are:

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⚫ stainless steel – an alloy of iron that contains at least 11% chromium and
smaller amounts of nickel and carbon
⚫ titanium steel – an alloy of iron and titanium.
Smart Alloy
A smart material can change one or more of its physical characteristics under
the influence of an external stimulus. Shape memory alloy is a type of smart material
made from metals that returns to its original shape after being deformed. Nitinol is a
type of shape memory alloy made from nickel and titanium. This material can be used
to make a pair of glasses that ‘remembers’ its shape and does not break when
crushed. Nitinol has also been used to hold badly broken bones in place while they
heal.

Figure 5. A smart alloy made of nitinol.

Self-Help: You can also refer to the sources below to help you
further understand the lesson.

Shamsuddin, M., & TMS (2016). Physical chemistry of metallurgical processes.

Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/2135961388/8194550C103C4BA4PQ/1
?accountid=31259. Chapter 1 Introduction pp 1-38.

Let’s Check

1. What is stainless steel?

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2. What are the most common metals used in construction?

3. What is the difference between Iron and Steel?
4. Why isn’t steel termed as a metal?

Let’s Analyze

1. Differentiate metals from non-metals.

2. What makes stainless steel stainless? Explain.
3. Which is stronger, Steel or Titanium? Explain.
4. What are the 4 types of steel?

In a Nutshell

1. Construct a vis-à-vis comparison of different alloyed materials. Cite the

advantages, disadvantages, and its best application.

Keywords Index

Actinides Alkali metals Alkaline earth Alloy Alloy

metals
Amalgam
Brass Corrosion Ductility Electrical Lanthanides
conductivity
Luster Malleability Ore Reactivity Rusting
Solder Sonority Steel Thermal Transition
conductivity metals

References

Gaffney, J., & Marley, N. (2018). General chemistry for engineers. Elsevier Inc.
Holleman, A.F.; Wiberg, E. "Inorganic Chemistry" Academic Press: San Diego,
2001.
Mortimer, Charles E. (1975). Chemistry: A Conceptual Approach (3rd ed.). New
York: D. Van Nostrad Company.
Roe, J; Roe, M (1992). "World's coinage uses 24 chemical elements". World
Coinage News. 19 (4, 5): 24–25, 18–19.
Shamsuddin, M., & TMS (2016). Physical chemistry of metallurgical processes.
Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/2135961388/8194550C103C4BA4PQ/1
?accountid=31259.

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 College of Engineering Education
2nd Floor, BE Building
Matina Campus, Davao City
Telefax: (082)296-1084
Phone No.: (082)300-5456/300-0647 Local 133

Walther, John V. (2013). Earth's Natural Resources. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Yonezawa, F (2017). Physics of Metal-Nonmetal Transitions. Amsterdam: IOS
Press.

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