Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Examples of metals
Copper- wires
Steel- Used to reinenforce buildings
Brass- Used mostly for decoration. It's also used for old doorhandles.
Aluminum- Used in the making of airplanes and bikes.
Silver- Used for jewelry
Platinum- Used for some car parts
Brass_ It is used for decoration for its bright gold-like appearance; for applications
where low friction is required such as locks, gears, bearings, doorknobs,
ammunition, and valves; for plumbing and electrical applications; and extensively
inmusical instruments such as horns and bells for its acoustic properties. It is also
used in zippers. Because it is softer than most other metals in general use, brass is
often used in situations where it is important that sparks not be struck, as in fittings
and tools around explosive gases
Bronze- is an alloy consisting primarily of copper. The addition of other metals
(usually tin, sometimes arsenic), produces an alloy much harder than plain
copper.architectural material: statue, frames,
Corrosion
-Most metals corrode when they are exposed to atmosphere. For
example, the
iron gets rusty after sometime if it is not painted. Titanium is highly
resistant to
corrosion.
Formation of Oxides
-forms oxides which are ionic and basic
-Metals when burned in the presence of oxygen, they combine with
oxygen to
form metallic oxides which are basic in nature
Reaction to Water
-only metals which have are more electropositive reacts with water
-Different metals react differently with water. Sodium reacts violently
with
water forming sodium hydroxide and hydrogran. Magnesium reacts mildly
with
water but vigorously with steam. Zinc and iron react mildly with steam.
Copper, gold and silver do not react with water at all. Most metals, on
reacting
with water produce hydroxide.
Reaction with Acid
-reacts to form salt and hydrogen gas
Physical state
-generally solid
-All metals except Mercury, exist in the solid form at room temperature.
Therefore, they retain their shapes under normal conditions.
-except mercury
Luster
-has a god quality of reflecting light from their surface
-Due to their
shiny appearance they can be used in jewellery and decorations.
Particularly
gold and silver are widely used for jewellery. In the old days, mirrors
were
made of shiny metals like silver. Silver is a very good reflector. It
reflects about
90% of the light falling on it. All modern mirrors contain a thin coating
of
metals
Malleability/ductility
-Wires are made from copper, aluminium, iron and magnesium. This
property of
drawing the metal in to thin wires is called ductility. Most metals are
ductile.
-can be beaten into thin sheets
-Most metals are malleable. Gold and Silver metals are the
most malleable metals. They can be hammered into very fine sheets.
Thin
aluminium foils are widely used for safe wrapping of medicines,
chocolates and
food material
Hardness/strong
-is generally hard
-except lithium potassium and sodium
-Metals such as iron are very strong. Therefore, it is therefore, widely
used in
the construction of buildings, bridges, railway lines, carriages, vehicles
and
machinery.
Conduction
-good conductor of heat and electricity
-Electric wires in our homes are made of aluminium and copper. They
are good
conductor of electricity. Electricity flows most easily through gold,
silver,
copper and aluminium. Gold and silver are used for fne electrical
contacts in
computers. Copper wires are used in electrical appliances while
aluminium is
cheaper is generally used for making electrical cables.
-Cooking utensils and water boilers are also made of iron, copper and
aluminium, because they are good conductors of heat.
Density
-high density and is heavy
Melting and boiling point
-has a high melting and boiling point
-except alkali metals
Tensile strength
-possess high tensile strength
-except sodium, potassium and mercury
- Metals have high tensile strength, that is they can be stretched to
some degree
without breaking. Metals like tungsten has high tensile strength.
No two metals are absolutely identical
Ex.
-Iron is magnetic and copper is not.
-Gold an Platinum are malleable and ductile but do not react with water.
-Sodium is highly reactive and reacts vigorously with water to form a solution
of sodium hydroxide.
CLASSIFICATION OF METALS AND THEIR USES
Ferrous Metals
Most ferrous metals need alloying with other other metals to make them
useful. Mild steel is a relatively weak material. To make it more useful and to change
its properties, we introduce carbon which makes the steel harder and more useful
for everyday life.
-contain iron
-will corrode unless protected
-are attracted by magnets
Iron
-Pure iron rarely exists outside of the laboratory. Iron is produced by
reducing iron ore to pig iron through the use of a blast furnace. From
pig iron many other types of iron and steel are produced by the
addition or deletion of carbon and alloysPure iron rarely exists outside
of the laboratory. Iron is produced by reducing iron ore to pig iron
through the use of a blast furnace. From pig iron many other types of
iron and steel are produced by the addition or deletion of carbon and
alloys
Pig iron
-is iron ore changed to pig iron by a blast furnace.
-Pig iron is composed of about 93% iron, from 3% to 5% carbon, and
various amounts of other elements. Pig iron is comparatively weak
and brittle; therefore, it has a limited use and approximately ninety
percent produced is refined to produce steel. Cast-iron pipe and some
fittings and valves are manufactured from pig iron.
CAST IRON
-Cast iron is any iron containing greater than 2% carbon alloy
-is a product of pig iron and contains a considerable amount of carbon
and some impurities.
-It is brittle and granular in structure. It is formed by pouring into
special castings.
WROUGHT IRON
-a product of pig iron that has had most of the carbon removed, is a
two-component metal consisting of high purity iron and iron silicate.
-Wrought iron is the only ferrous metal that contains siliceous slag.
-The slag is responsible for the desirable properties of wrought iron,
particularly its resistance to corrosion and fatigue.
-It is used for rivets, porch furniture, and decorative roof supports.
STEEL
- Steel is manufactured from pig iron by decreasing the amount of
carbon and other impurities and adding specific amounts of alloying
element
A. LOW CARBON STEEL
Non-Ferrous Metals
-dont contain iron
- they are not magnetic
-they are mostly pure metals
ALUMINUM
-is a silver-white, malleable, ductile metal.
-It is known for its electrical conductivity, heat conductivity, rust
resistance, and light weight.
COPPER
-reddish-brown in color
-is used for tubes, wire, sheets, and plates.
-It has excellent workability, either hot or cold, and the highest
electrical and heat conductivity of all commercial metals.
LEAD
-has a bluish-white color and a bright luster.
-It is soft, highly malleable, and ductile; has slight tenacity; and is a
poor conductor of electricity.
-It is used for making pipe and containers for corrosive liquids
MAGNESIUM
-is a very lightweight, silver-white metal, which is malleable and ductile
and burns in air.
-it is usually found in the alloy known as dowmetal.
-It is useful for airplane bodies, truck and auto wheels, ladders, lawn
mower frames, and any place where weight reduction is important.
NICKEL
-is a hard, malleable, ductile, tenacious white metal that is somewhat
magnetic.
-It is valuable for the alloys it forms with other metals.
TIN