:For alternative meanings see metal (disambiguation).In chemistry, a metal is an element that readily forms cations and has metallic bonds, and it is sometimes said that it is similar to a cation in a cloud of electrons. The metals are one of the three groups of elements as distinguished by their ionization and bonding properties, along with the metalloids and nonmetals. On the periodic table, a diagonal line drawn from boron (B) to polonium (Po) separates the metals from the nonmetals. Elements on this line are metalloids, sometimes called semi-metals; elements to the lower left are metals; elements to the upper right are nonmetals.
Metals have certain characteristic physical properties: they are usually shiny (they have "lustre"), have a high density, are ductile and malleable, usually have a
high melting point, are usually hard, and conduct electricity and heat
well. These properties are mainly because each atomFor alternative meanings see atom (disambiguation). An atom is a microscopic structure found in all ordinary matter around us. Atoms are composed of 3 types of subatomic particles: electrons, which have a negative charge; protons, which have a positive ch exerts only a loose hold on its outermost electronThe electron (also called negatron commonly represented as e&minus is a subatomic particle. In an atom the electrons surround the nucleus of protons and neutrons in an electron configuration. Electrons have the smallest electrical charge and when they movs ( valence electronIn chemistry, valence electrons are the electrons contained in the valence shell of an atom, and which are likely to participate in a chemical reaction through bonding with other atoms or molecules. See chemical bonding.s); thus, the valence electrons form a sort of sea around the atoms. Most metals are chemically stable, with the notable exception of the alkali metalThe alkali metals are a chemical series. They are the elements in Group 1 of the Periodic Table, excluding hydrogen: that is, lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, caesium and francium. They are all highly reactive. The alkali metals are silvery colored,s and alkaline earth metalThe alkaline earth metals are the series of elements in Group 2 of the periodic table: beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium and radium (not always considered due to its very short half-life). The alkaline earth metals are named after their oxis, found in the leftmost two groups of the periodic table.
Nonmetals are more abundant in nature than are metals, but metals in fact constitute most of the periodic table. Some well-known metals are aluminiumAluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is the chemical element in the periodic table with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. A silvery and ductile member of the poor metal group of elements, aluminium is found primarily as the ore bauxite and, copperCopper is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. Notable characteristics Copper is a reddish-coloured metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver, goldFor alternative meanings, see gold (disambiguation Gold is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Au ( L. aurum and atomic number 79. A soft, shiny, yellow, heavy, malleable, ductile (trivalent and univalent) transition metal, gold d, iron, lead, silver, titanium, uranium, and zinc.
An alloy is a mixture with metallic properties that contains at least one metal element. Examples of alloys are steel (iron and carbon), brass (copper and zinc), bronze (copper and tin), and duralumin (aluminium and copper). Alloys specially designed for highly demanding applications, such as jet engines, may contain more than ten elements.
The oxides of metals are basic; those of nonmetals are acidic. The allotropes of metals tend to be lustrous, ductile, malleable, and good conductors, while nonmetals generally speaking are brittle (for solid nonmetals), lack luster, and are insulators.
Solid state physics
Chemical element groups
Metalworking
