Metals and Non-metals

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental concepts, processes, terms, and alloys from Chapter 3: Metals and Non-metals.

Metallic Lustre

The physical property of metals characterized by having a shiny, reflective surface in their pure state.

Malleability

The property of metals that allows them to be beaten into thin sheets; gold and silver are the most malleable metals.

Ductility

The ability of a metal to be drawn into thin wires; gold is the most ductile metal, with a $2\,\text{km}$ wire capable of being drawn from $1\,\text{g}$ of gold.

Sonorous

The property of metals that produce a ringing sound when struck against a hard surface.

Allotrope

Different physical forms in which an element can exist; for example, carbon exists as diamond (the hardest natural substance) and graphite (a conductor of electricity).

Amphoteric Oxides

Metal oxides that react with both acids as well as bases to produce salts and water, such as aluminium oxide ($Al_2O_3$) and zinc oxide ($ZnO$).

Anodising

A process of forming a thick protective oxide layer on aluminium by making a clean aluminium article the anode and electrolysing it with dilute sulphuric acid ($H_2SO_4$).

Aqua Regia

A freshly prepared, highly corrosive, and fuming mixture of concentrated hydrochloric acid ($HCl$) and concentrated nitric acid ($HNO_3$) in a $3:1$ ratio, capable of dissolving gold and platinum.

Reactivity Series

A list of metals arranged in the order of their decreasing chemical activities.

Ionic Compounds

Compounds formed by the transfer of electrons from a metal to a non-metal, held together by strong electrostatic forces of attraction; also called electrovalent compounds.

Minerals

Elements or compounds that occur naturally in the earth's crust.

Ores

Minerals that contain a very high percentage of a particular metal from which the metal can be profitably extracted.

Gangue

Mined ore impurities consisting of large amounts of unwanted materials such as soil, sand, and rock.

Roasting

The metallurgical process of converting sulphide ores into metal oxides by heating them strongly in the presence of excess air.

Calcination

The metallurgical process of converting carbonate ores into metal oxides by heating them strongly in limited air.

Thermit Reaction

A highly exothermic reduction reaction between iron(III) oxide ($Fe_2O_3$) and aluminium ($Al$) that produces molten iron, used to join railway tracks or cracked machine parts.

Electrolytic Refining

A process for purifying impure metals where the impure metal is made the anode, a thin strip of pure metal is the cathode, and a metal salt solution serves as the electrolyte.

Anode Mud

The insoluble impurities that settle down at the bottom of the anode during the electrolytic refining of metals.

Corrosion

The gradual deterioration of metal surfaces when exposed to moist air, moisture, or chemical substances over a long period.

Galvanisation

A method of protecting iron and steel from rusting by coating them with a thin layer of zinc ($Zn$).

Alloy

A homogeneous mixture of two or more metals, or a metal and a non-metal, prepared by melting the primary metal and dissolving other elements in definite proportions.

Amalgam

An alloy in which one of the constituent metals is mercury ($Hg$).

Solder

An alloy composed of lead ($Pb$) and tin ($Sn$) with a low melting point, used for welding electrical wires together.

Brass

An alloy consisting of copper ($Cu$) and zinc ($Zn$).

Bronze

An alloy consisting of copper ($Cu$) and tin ($Sn$).