Ch-4 Materials: Metals and Non-Metals

Total elements- 118

Some of them are metals and non-
metals.
Physical properties of metals and non-metals
Metals Non-Metals
Hard and lustrous (shiny) Soft and dull in
appearance
Malleability- conversion of break down in powdery mass
metals into thin sheets. on tapping with a hammer.
Ductility- conversions of metals non- ductile
into wires.
Sonorous- metals produce not sonorous
ringing sounds
Good conductors of heat and poor or bad conductors of
electricity. heat and electricity.
Exceptions- Soft metals- Sodium (Na), Potassium (K) and
Lithium (Li)
Mercury- only metal which exist in liquid form at room
temperature.

Chemical properties of metals and non metals

1. Reactions with oxygen
2. Reactions with water
3. Reactions with acids
4. Reactions with bases
5. Displacement reactions

1. Reactions with oxygen- (In case of metals)

Metals + Oxygen Metallic Oxides
Ex- Rusting of Iron
Iron + Oxygen + Water (moisture) → Iron oxide (Basic)
4Fe + 3O2 2Fe2O3
Ex-
Magnesium + Oxygen Magnesium oxide
2Mg + O2 2MgO
Ex- Na + Oxygen Sodium Oxide
Note- When copper vessel is exposed to air, it acquires a dull
green coating. The green material is a mixture of copper
hydroxide and copper carbonate.
2Cu + H2O + CO2 + O2 Cu (OH)2 + CuCO3
Moist air Copper hydroxide Copper carbonate

Reactions with oxygen (In case of non-metals)

Non-metals + Oxygen Non- metallic oxides (acidic)
Sulphur + Oxygen Sulphur di oxide
S + O2 SO2
And
Sulphur di oxide + Water Sulphurous acid
SO2 + H2O H2SO3
2. Reactions with water- (In case of metals)
Sodium (Na) metal reacts vigorously with oxygen and water and
produces heat. Therefore it is stored in kerosene.
Sodium + Water Sodium hydroxide + Hydrogen
2Na + 2H2O 2NaOH + H2
While Iron reacts with water very slowly.(Rusting of iron)
In case of non-metals
Generally non-metals do not react with water. Though they may
be very reactive in air, such non-metals are stored in water.
Ex- Phosphorous (P) is very reactive. It catches fire if exposed to
air.
3. Reactions with acids (In case of metals)
Metals react with acid and produce hydrogen gas with a ‘pop’
Sound.
Metals + Dil. Acids → Metal salts + Hydrogen gas
Ex- Mg + 2HCl MgCl2 + H2
Magnesium chloride

Mg + H2SO4 MgSO4 + H2
Magnesium sulphate

2Al + 3H2SO4 Al2 (SO4)3 + 3H2

Aluminium sulphate

2Al + 6HCl 2AlCl3 + 3H2

Aluminium chloride

Fe + H2SO4 FeSO4 + H2
Iron sulphate

Fe + 2HCl FeCl2 + H2
 Iron chloride

In case of non-metals- Non-metals do not react with acids.

Note- Copper (Cu) does not react with dilute HCl even on heating
but it reacts with concentrated H2SO4
Cu + Con. 2H2SO4 CuSO4 + SO2 + 2H2O
Strong oxidizing agent

4. Reactions with Bases (In case of metals)

Metals react with sodium hydroxide to produce hydrogen gas.
Metals + Bases Salts + Hydrogen
Ex- Zn + 2NaOH Na2ZnO2 + H2
Sodium zincate

While reactions of non- metals with bases are complex.

Ex- CO2 + 2NaOH Na2CO3 + H2O
Sodium carbonate

5. Displacement Reactions-
Rule- A more reactive metal can replace a less reactive metal
but a less reactive one cannot replace a more reactive metal.
Ex-
Copper sulphate + Zinc Zinc sulphate + Copper
CuSO4 + Zn ZnSO4 + Cu
 Colorless Red

Uses of Metals and Non-metals

Uses of metals- Metals are used in making machinery,
automobiles, aero planes, trains satellites, industrial gadgets,
water boilers etc.
Uses of non-metals-
• Oxygen (O) is used in breathing.
 • Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) are used as fertilizers.
• Chlorine (Cl) and Ozone (O3) are used in water purification.
• Purple color solution tincture iodine (I) is used as an
antiseptic.
• Phosphorus and sulphur (S) are used in crackers.
Note- Element- A substance cannot be broken down
further by chemical reaction, called as element.
Ex- Carbon, Sulphur, Iron etc.
Atom- The smallest unit of an element is called atom.
Metalloids- Some elements which show characteristics of
both metals and non-metals, called as metalloids.
Ex- H, B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te, At etc.