What are the chemical properties of metals?
What are the chemical properties of metals?
Chemical Properties of Metals
Reaction with air:
Some metals oxidise and some don't when exposed to air but some metals actually burn or combust when they come in contact with air
Metal + Oxygen → Metal Oxide
Example:
Metals like Magnesium (Mg), Aluminium (Al), Zinc (Zn), and Lead (Pb) react slowly with air and form a protective layer
Magnesium can also burn in air with a white dazzling light to form its oxide
Iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) combine with oxygen to form an oxide over a period of time, and this process is called rusting
Metals like sodium (Na) and Potassium (K) are kept immersed in kerosene oil as they react vigorously with air and catch fire.
Reaction with dilute acids:
Metals react with dilute hydrochloric acid and dilute sulphuric acid to form a salt and hydrogen gas
Metal + Dilute acid → Salt + Hydrogen gas
Reaction with water:
Most reactive metals like Sodium reacts with cold water to produce hydrogen and sodium hydroxide
In the case of Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg), the metal starts floating due to bubbles of hydrogen gas sticking to its surface.
The reaction of metals with other metal salts:
All metals are not equally reactive. Reactive metals can displace less reactive metals from their compounds in solution. This forms the basis of the reactivity series of metals
Metal A + Salt solution of A → Salt solution of metal A + Metal B
The reaction of metals and non-metals:
Reactivity of elements is described as a tendency to attain a completely filled valence shell
Atoms of metals can lose electrons from valence shells to form cations (+ve ions)
Atoms of non-metals gain electrons in valence shell to form anions (–ve ions)
Oppositely charged ions attract each other and are held by strong electrostatic forces of attraction forming ionic compounds
Chemical Properties of Metals
Reaction with air:
Some metals oxidise and some don't when exposed to air but some metals actually burn or combust when they come in contact with air
Metal + Oxygen → Metal Oxide
Example:
Metals like Magnesium (Mg), Aluminium (Al), Zinc (Zn), and Lead (Pb) react slowly with air and form a protective layer
Magnesium can also burn in air with a white dazzling light to form its oxide
Iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) combine with oxygen to form an oxide over a period of time, and this process is called rusting
Metals like sodium (Na) and Potassium (K) are kept immersed in kerosene oil as they react vigorously with air and catch fire.
Reaction with dilute acids:
Metals react with dilute hydrochloric acid and dilute sulphuric acid to form a salt and hydrogen gas
Metal + Dilute acid → Salt + Hydrogen gas
Reaction with water:
Most reactive metals like Sodium reacts with cold water to produce hydrogen and sodium hydroxide
In the case of Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg), the metal starts floating due to bubbles of hydrogen gas sticking to its surface.
The reaction of metals with other metal salts:
All metals are not equally reactive. Reactive metals can displace less reactive metals from their compounds in solution. This forms the basis of the reactivity series of metals
Metal A + Salt solution of A → Salt solution of metal A + Metal B
The reaction of metals and non-metals:
Reactivity of elements is described as a tendency to attain a completely filled valence shell
Atoms of metals can lose electrons from valence shells to form cations (+ve ions)
Atoms of non-metals gain electrons in valence shell to form anions (–ve ions)
Oppositely charged ions attract each other and are held by strong electrostatic forces of attraction forming ionic compounds
