1. Metals

2. What are Metals?
Metals are groups of elements found on the left side of the periodic table
While every metal is unique, all metals share a common set of physical properties
Examples of metals include:
-- silver
-- sodium
-- mercury
-- iron
-- copper

3. Physical Properties of Metals
The physical properties shared by all metals are:
Shininess – most metals reflect light and appear “shiny”
Malleability – the ability to be pounded into shapes
-- most metals are malleable
Ductility – the ability to be pulled or drawn into wires or sheets
-- most metals are ductile
Conductivity – the ability to carry an electric current
-- most metals are good conductors
Other metals share the property of magnetism, although not all metals are magnetic. . .

4. Chemical Properties of Metals
The chemical properties of metals depend on the number of valence electrons in the metal
Metals with one or two valence electrons are very reactive
-- such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium
Metals with many valence electrons can be almost completely unreactive
-- such as gold and chromium
Some metals react with air to form metal oxides, which wear away the metal
-- the reaction and wearing away of metals is called corrosion
-- this is how rust is formed

5. Mixtures of Metals Mixtures of metals are called alloys
-- technically, an alloy is a solution of two solid metals
Alloys are useful because they combine the best physical properties of two substances
Examples of alloys include:
Bronze – made of copper and tin
Steel – made of iron, chromium, and vanadium

6. Metal Families
On the periodic table, metals in groups or families have similar chemical properties.
The groups, or families, of metals on the periodic table include:
-- Alkali Metals
-- Alkaline Earth Metals
-- Transition Metals
-- Mixed-Group Metals

7. Alkali Metals
Metals in group 1 (I) on the far left of the periodic table are alkali metals
-- hydrogen is in group 1, but is not considered a metal because of its physical properties so it is not included
Alkali metals share the following characteristics
-- insanely reactive, because they have 1 valence e-
-- they are so reactive that they are never found alone in elements, only in compounds
-- soft and shiny
Examples include:
-- sodium, found in salt
-- lithium, used in batteries

8. Alkaline Earth Metals
Alkaline Earth Metals are all the elements in group 2 (II) of the periodic table
The properties shared by all alkaline earth metals are:
-- very reactive (not as much as alkali metals)
-- never found uncombined in nature
-- grey/white in color
-- hard to cut
-- good conductors of electricity
Examples of Alkaline Earth Metals include:
-- calcium, essential in teeth and bones
-- magnesium, which is used in flashbulbs

9. Transition Metals
Transition metals include all elements in groups 3 – 12 of the periodic table
Properties shared by transition metals include:
-- being fairly stable and slow to react with air and water
-- usually hard and shiny
-- despite being in different groups, they all have similar numbers of valence electrons and share similar bonding patterns
Examples of transition metals include:
-- gold, silver, nickel, copper, iron
These are what you usually think of as “metals”

10. Lanthanides and Actinides
Lanthanides and actinides are like transition metals, but because they are in rows 6 and 7 of the periodic table, they have extra energy electrons and have slightly different properties, and are placed below the table
Lanthanides are soft, malleable, shiny, and good conductors
-- most lanthanides have similar chemical properties
Actinides are usually very unstable
-- the only “natural” actinides are thorium and uranium
-- the rest are synthetic (man-made)
-- many actinides are radioactive

11. Mixed-Group Metals
Mixed-Group Metals are those in groups 13 – 16 (III – VI) of the periodic table
-- they are located between the transition metals and the metalloids
Properties shared by mixed-group metals include:
-- low reactivity
Examples of Mixed-group metals include:
-- Aluminum, used in cans and automobiles
-- Lead, which used to be used in pipes