DARRELL ER (COPYRIGHTED) ©

DARRELL ER (COPYRIGHTED) ©

TOPIC 9:
METALS

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THE ABOUT
• Heavy content chapter
• 5 key concepts
• 2 advanced concepts
TIME

CHAPTER • Always tested in exams, MCQ and FRQ

ANALYSIS EXAM
• Require knowledge from chapters like:
 Periodic Table, Oxidation & Reduction

• Heavy-Medium overall weightage

• Constitute to 5.5% of marks for past 5 year papers

WEIGHTAGE

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KEY CONCEPT

METALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF METAL
ALLOYS

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PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF METAL

1) Metals are ductile (able to be stretched into wires without

losing toughness).

2) Metals are malleable (able to be bent into different shapes

without breaking).

3) Metals are good conductors of electricity and heat.

PHYSICAL
4) Metals have high melting and boiling points and generally
are solids at room temperature.

PROPERTIES
5) Metals have high density.

6) Metals are generally strong and shiny.

OF METAL Exceptions:

- Mercury has a low melting point (–39 ºC) and exists as a liquid
at room temperature.

- Group I metals such as lithium, sodium and potassium have

low densities and float on water.

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PURE METAL

Pure metals are soft and as the layers of metal atoms would slide over one

ALLOYS
another easily when an external force is applied to them.

ALLOYS

Alloys are a mixtures of metals with other elements.

In alloys, since the atoms have different size, the orderly arrangement of
the metal atoms would be disrupted, making it tougher to slide over as
easily. Hence, alloys are much stronger and harder.

Examples:

Steel: Iron, carbon (bodies of cars)

Stainless Steel: iron, carbon, chromium, nickel (medical instruments)
Brass: Copper, zinc (electrical plugs)
Bronze: Copper, tin (trophies)
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STEEL

Steel is a good example of an alloy that is a mixture of iron with carbon or

ALLOYS:
other metals.

By controlling the percentage of carbon in steel, it will form high carbon

steels or low carbon steels.

STEEL Category

Carbon Steels
e.g. chemical plants;
Type of Steel
are softer and more easily shaped
(c) state the uses ofMild
mildSteel
Uses

steel, e.g. car bodies; machinery,

Car bodies
machinery
and and
Special Properties

stainless
Hard, strongsteel,
malleable
and

cutlery; surgical instruments

0.25% Carbon

High Carbon Steel Cutting and boring Strong but brittle

Mild steel will rust faster than high carbon steel
tools, [Link] to higher
knives, ironcarbon atoms
(more
composition 0.45 – 1.5% Carbon hammers to prevent sliding)
- Only iron (and alloys containing iron) will rust. Magnesium corrodes

Alloy Steels Stainless Steel Equipments in Extremely durable,

chemical plants, resistant to rust
Alloy of iron, cutlery, surgical and corrosion even
chromium, nickel & instruments when heated
carbon.

Qn: Explain how the properties of low carbon and high carbon steel differ.

Low carbon steel is softer as it is more malleable.

High carbon steel contains more carbon atoms which prevent sliding of the iron atoms.
Hence, high carbon steel is harder but brittle.

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KEY CONCEPT

REACTIVITY SERIES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF METALS
DISPLACEMENT, DECOMPOSITION,
RUSTING

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MUST KNOW
Complete Summary Table
Acroymn Metal Periodic Table Stability Reaction with water Reaction with acid

Please Potassium (K)

Group I
Stop Sodium (Na) Can react with cold water to
form metal hydroxide
Compound broken down by
Calling Calcium (Ca)
electrolysis
Group II
Me Magnesium (Mg)

A Aluminium (Al) Group III

React with acid
Can react with steam to
Cute Carbon (C) --- ---
form metal oxide

Zombie Zinc (Zn)

I Iron (Fe) Transition Metals Compound broken down by

reduction with carbon
Like Lead (Pb)

Hwa Hydrogen (H) --- --- ---

Chong Copper (Cu) Does not react with steam

or cold water
Sexy Silver (Ag) Unreactive Metals Compound broken down by
thermal decomposition Does not react with acid
Guys Gold (Au)
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REACTIVITY OF METALS

Reactivity increases going down the group and from right to

left in the periodic table.

This means that Group I metals have the best reactivity.

Going down the group, the metal has more valence shells,
allowing it to lose its valence electrons more readily, hence
it is more reactive.

(from chapter ‘Periodic Table’.)

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CHEMICAL
REACTIONS OF
METALS

THERMAL
ACID DECOMPOSITION

WATER RUSTING
DISPLACEMENT
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METAL + WATER

Metal Speed of Observation Chemical Equation

Reaction

Potassium explosively burns with lilac 2K (s) + 2H2O (l) → 2KOH (aq) + H2 (g)
(K) in cold water flame

METAL + WATER Sodium (Na) violently in

cold water
burns with
yellow flame
2Na (s) + 2H2O (l) → 2NaOH (aq) + H2 (g)

Calcium readily in vigorous Ca (s) + 2H2O (l) → Ca(OH)2 (aq) + H2 (g)

METAL + WATER 🡪 METAL OXIDE / HYDROXIDE + HYDROGEN GAS (Ca) cold water effervescence

When metals react with water/steam, metal oxide or hydroxide is Magnesium very slowly little Mg (s) + H2O (g) → MgO (s) + H2 (g)
formed, along with hydrogen gas*. (Mg) in cold water effervescence

violently
with steam burns with white
Reactive metals (Group I and Ca) are able to react with cold H2O. glow

Less reactive metals (Mg, Al and Zn) would only able to react with steam. Aluminium readily in 2Al (s) + 3H2O (g) → Al2O3 (s) + 3 H2 (g)
(Al) steam
Unreactive metals (after Fe) are unable to react with water at all.
Zinc (Zn) readily in ZnO is yellow Zn (s) + H2O (g) → ZnO (s) + H2 (g)
steam when hot
*Test for hydrogen gas using lighted splint, it should extinguish with ‘pop sound.
white when
cooled

Iron (Fe) slowly in requires 3Fe (s) + 4H2O (g) → Fe3O4 (s) + 4H2 (g)
steam constant
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METAL + ACID

Metal Speed of Reaction Chemical Equation

Potassium (K) Explosively in acid 2 K(s) + 2 HCl (aq) → 2KCl (aq) + H2 (g)

METAL + ACID Sodium (Na) Explosively in acid 2 Na(s) + 2HCl (aq) → 2NaCl (aq) + H2 (g)

METAL + ACID 🡪 SALT + HYDROGEN GAS Calcium (Ca) Violently in acid Ca(s) + 2HCl (aq) →CaCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)

When metals react with acid, salt and hydrogen gas* is produced. Magnesium Rapidly in acid Mg(s) + 2HCl (aq) → MgCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)
(Mg)

More reactive metals (Group I and Ca) will result in a more vigorous/explosive
reaction. Aluminium (Al) Readily in acid 4 Al (s) + 6HCl (aq) → 2 Al2Cl3 (s) + 3 H2 (g)

Less reactive metals (Zn, Fe) will have less effervescence of hydrogen gas from
the reaction. Zinc (Zn) Moderately in acid Zn(s) + 2HCl (aq) → ZnCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)

Less reactive metals (Pb) can only react with warm dilute hydrochloric acid.
Iron (Fe) Slowly in acid Fe(s) + 2 HCl (aq) → FeCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)

*Test for hydrogen gas using lighted splint, it should extinguish with ‘pop sound.

Lead (Pb) Slowly in acid Pb(s) + 2 HCl (aq) → PbCl2 (s) + H2 (g)
heating

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DISPLACEMENT REACTION

When a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive metal from its
solution or oxide, it is known as displacement reaction.

This is because the more reactive metal is able to lose its electrons
more readily to form cations.

DISPLACEMENT
We can use the result from displacement reaction to deduce the
relative reactivity of two metals.

If a metal precipitates when another metal is added to the solution,

then the metal that was added would be more reactive one.

If no change is observed (i.e. no reaction), it means that the metal

added is less reactive as it wasn’t able to displace the metal in the
solution.

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THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF METAL CARBONATES

Metal carbonates would decompose when heated strongly, producing a

metal oxide and carbon dioxide gas.

THERMAL Example:
CaCO3 (s)  CaO (s) + CO2 (g)

DECOMPOSITION Explanation:

The greater the reactivity a metal has, the more heat-stable its
carbonate.

More reactive metals’ carbonates (Group I, Ca, Al) would require

electrolysis to extract the metal while the less reactive metals’
carbonates can be broken down by reduction with carbon or by
heating.

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PREVENTING RUSTING

RUSTING
Surface Protection

Paint, oil, plastic and metal plating are some commonly used
protective layers that would prevent air and water from coming into
contact with iron (or steel) under the protective layer.
The corrosion of iron and steel is called rusting. This occurs when iron corrodes
due to a chemical reaction with oxygen in air and water.
Sacrificial Metals

After rusting occurs, iron becomes hydrated iron(III) oxide, a brown solid with If iron is in contact with a more reactive metal like magnesium or zinc,
the chemical formula: then the rusting of iron is greatly minimised. These reactive metals
would be diminished in place of iron.
Fe2O3 . xH2O

Iron must be in contact with both air (oxygen) and water in order for it to
rust. Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is an iron alloy that consists of iron and chromium or

Seawater will cause rusting faster due to the presence of ions in seawater that nickel.
act as a charge carrier.
It does not rust easily, as these metals would react with the oxygen in
the air to produce a stable metal oxide layer.

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KEY CONCEPT

EXTRACTION OF METALS
ELECTROLYSIS, REDUCTION,
HYDROGEN
BLAST FURNACE

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EXTRACTION OF REDUCTION BY ELECTROLYSIS

METALS Electrolysis is the most powerful extraction method. Due to the high usage of
electricity, it is a highly expensive process.

Hence, electrolysis would only be utilised for the most reactive metals like
The method chosen to extract a given metal from its ore depends on the potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and aluminium.
reactivity of the metal and the stability of the metal oxides.

In general, very reactive metals can only be extracted using electrolysis, while
less reactive metals would be extracted by reduction with carbon/hydrogen.

Metal Extraction method Reduction by hydrogen

Potassium (K)
Sodium (Na)
REDUCTION BY CARBON
Calcium (Ca) Electrolysis
Cannot be reduced by Metals that can be extracted by this method are zinc, iron, tin and lead.
Magnesium (Mg) hydrogen
Aluminium (Al) Lead(II) oxide is reduced by carbon to become pure lead metal.

Carbon (C) --- PbO (s) + C (s)  Pb (s) + CO (g)

Zinc (Zn)
Displacement / reduction REDUCTION BY HYDROGEN
Iron (Fe)
with carbon
Lead (Pb) Metals that can be extracted by this method from their oxides are iron,
Hydrogen (H) --- copper and lead.
Reduced by hydrogen
Copper (Cu) Heating in air CuO (s) + H2 (g)  Cu (s) + H2O (g)

Silver (Ag)
Exist naturally as metal
Gold (Au)
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BLAST FURNACE

EXTRACTION OF Production of carbon dioxide

IRON Carbon in coke reacts with oxygen in air to produce carbon dioxide.

C (s) + O2 (g)  CO2 (g)

Limestone thermally decompose to form carbon dioxide and calcium oxide.

CaCO3 (s)  CaO (s) + CO2 (g)

Production of carbon monoxide

Carbon dioxide reacts with more carbon in coke to form carbon monoxide.

CO2 (g) + C (s)  2 CO (g) The first 2 steps

are meant to
Reduction of haematite to iron produce CO that
will reduce the
Carbon monoxide reduces iron(III) oxide in haematite to form molten iron. iron (III) oxide!

Fe2O3 (s) + 3CO (g)  2Fe (l) + 3CO2 (g)

Molten iron would sink to the bottom due to its high density and it exits through the
bottom of the blast furnace.

Removal of impurities

Impurities such as silicon(IV) oxide are removed by reacting with calcium oxide.

CaO (s) + SiO2 (l)  CaSiO3 (l)

CaSiO3 is called calcium silicate or slag, would float on top of molten iron due to it being
18 less dense, is removed separately.
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RECYCLING
Upside Downside

Economic
Cost savings from extraction of Recycling is very expensive,
new metals from their ores. such as costs from collection,
RECYCLING OF METALS transportation and separation
Fewer landfills required. of the scrap metals.
Metals are finite resources and would need to be conserved.

As the amount of metal ores in the Earth is limited, if metal extraction continues Social
at the current rate, the supplies of many metals will run out in the future. Conservation of the limited If done wrongly, separation of
non-renewable metals on metal waste uses more effort
Earth. and resources.

More land will be available for Time and manpower to do

other uses. recycling.

Environmental
Reduce greenhouse gas like The recycling process may
CO2 from combustion of fossil cause additional pollution if not
fuels to power extraction handled properly.
factories.

Reduces production of waste

gases like CO.

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