Metals (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what metals are, how they are classified and what their physical properties are. Examples of metals and which are non-metals.

What are metals?

In the field of chemistry, those elements of the Periodic Table that are characterized by being good conductors of electricity and heat. These elements have high densities and are generally solid at room temperature (except mercury). Many can also reflect light, which gives them their characteristic shine.

The metals They are the most numerous elements of the Periodic Table and some are part of the most abundant in the Earth's crust. A part of them is usually found in a state of greater or lesser purity in nature, although the majority are part of minerals from the earth's subsoil and must be separated by humans to use them.

The metals present characteristic bonds called “metallic bonds”. In this type of bond, the metal atoms are joined together in such a way that their atomic nuclei join together with the valence electrons (electrons located in the last electronic shell, that is, the outermost electrons), which form a kind of “cloud.” ” around him. Thus, in metallic bonding, the metallic atoms are located very close to each other, and they are all “immersed” in their valence electrons, forming the metallic structure.

Metals

On the other hand, metals can form ionic bonds with non-metals (e.g. chlorine and fluorine), which leads to the formation of salts. This type of bond is formed by the electrostatic attraction between ions of different signs, where metals form positive ions (cations) and non-metals form negative ions (anions). When these salts dissolve in water, they dissociate into their ions.

Types of metals

Metallic elements can be of various types, according to which they are grouped in the Periodic Table. Each group has shared properties:

Alkali metals. They are shiny, soft and very reactive under normal conditions of pressure and temperature (1 atm and 25º C), so they are never pure in nature. They have low densities and are good conductors of heat and electricity. They also have low melting and boiling points. In the Periodic Table they occupy group I (1). Hydrogen (which is not a metal) is also found in this group.
Alkaline earth metals. They are located in group II (2) of the Periodic Table. Its name comes from the alkaline properties of its oxides (called “earths” in the past). They tend to be harder and less reactive than alkaline ones. They are bright and good conductors of heat and electricity. They have low density and color.
Transition metals Most metals fall into that category. They occupy the central region of the Periodic Table and almost all are hard, with high melting and boiling points, and good conduction of heat and electricity.
Lanthanides. Also called lanthanoids, they are the so-called “rare earths” of the Periodic Table, which with the actinides form the “internal transition elements”. They are very similar elements to each other, and despite their name, they are very abundant on the Earth's surface. They have very characteristic magnetic behaviors (when they interact with a magnetic field, for example, the magnetic field generated by a magnet) and spectral behaviors (when radiation hits them).
Actinides Together with the rare earths, they form the “internal transition elements”, and are very similar to each other. They have high atomic numbers and many of them are radioactive in all their isotopes, which makes them extremely rare in nature.
Transactinides. Also called “superheavy elements”, they are those that exceed the atomic number of the heaviest of the actinides, lawrencium (103). All isotopes of these elements have a very short half-life, they are all radioactive and have been obtained by synthesis in a laboratory, which is why they have the names of the physicists responsible for their creation.

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Examples of metals

Alkaline. Lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), francium (Fr).
Alkaline earth. Beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba) and radium (Ra).
Transition metals. Scandium (Sc), Titanium (Ti), Vanadium (V), Chromium (Cr), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), yttrium (Y), zirconium (Zr), niobium (Nb), molybdenum (Mo), technetium (Tc), ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), cadmium (Cd), lutetium (Lu), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), tungsten (W), rhenium (Re), osmium (Os), iridium (Ir), platinum (Pd), gold (Au), mercury (Hg), lawrencium (Lr), rutherfordium (Rf), dubnium (Db), seaborgium (Sg), bohrium (Bh), hasium (Hs), meitnerium (Mt), darmstadium (Ds), roentgenium (Rg), copernicium (Cn).
rare earths. Lanthanum (La), Cerium (Ce), Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Promethium (Pm), Samarium (Sm), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), Ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu).
Actinides. Actinium (Ac), thorium (Th), protactinium (Pa), uranium (U), neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), americium (Am), curium (Cm), berkelium (Bk), californium (Cf), einsteinium (Es), fermium (Fm), mendelevium (Md), nobelium (No), lawrencium (Lr).
Transactinides. Rutherfordium (Rf), dubnium (Db), seaborgium (Sg), bohrium (Bh), hassium (Hs), meitnerium (Mt), darmstadium (Ds), roentgenium (Rg), copernicium (Cn), nihonium (Nh), flerovium (Fl), moscovium (Mc), livermorio (Lv), teneso (Ts).

What are non-metals?

Non-metals are elements with properties very different from those of metals, although there are also compounds called metalloids, which have properties and characteristics intermediate between metals and non-metals. non-metals They form covalent bonds when they form molecules with each other. These compounds, unlike metals, are not good conductors of electric current and heat, nor are they shiny.