Basics of Chemistry-Metals

As we discussed earlier,elements can be further classified into two categories-
Metals and Non-Metals
Metals
Metals can be defined as-Any element which is a good conductor of heat and electricity.

Metals also have other properties-

Physical property
Most metals are found in solid form in nature.The only liquid metals at room temperature are Mercury,Gallium,Caesium,Francium,Rubidium.

Lustre
 Metals usually give a shine when polished.This is called lustre.

Colour
Most metals are white or silvery grey in colour.Exceptions are Gold which is yellow in colour and Copper is reddish-brown in colour.

Hardness
Most metals are hard with the exceptions of Potassium and Sodium that are so soft that they can be cut with a knife.

Malleability
Most metals can be beaten into thin sheets or foils.The property by virtue of which metals can be beaten into thin sheets or foils is called malleability.For example,aluminium can be beaten into foils.

Ductility
The property by virtue of which metals can be drawn into thin wires is called ductility.Due to this property,metals can be stretched into wires.For ex: Copper wires.Gold and silver are the two most ductile metals.

Thermal Conductivity
Most metals are good conductors of heat.This property is known as thermal conductivity.Due to this property,heating vessels and pans are made from metals.

Electrical conductivity
Metals are good conductors of electricity.This property is known as Electrical conductivity.Due to this property,wires are made from metals.

Sonority
Most metals produce loud sounds when struck with a hard object.The property by virtue of which metals produce a loud sound when struck with a hard object is called Sonority.This property is used in Bells,Wind chimes etc.

This concludes my talk on metals.