Properties of metals.
- Lustre:
Metals have a shiny appearance when freshly cut. - Conductivity:
Metals are good conductors of electricity and heat. - Malleability:
Metals can be hammered into different shapes. - Ductility:
Metals can be drawn into wires without breaking.
Most of the metals have a grey colour. - Density:
Metals generally have high densities. - Melting and Boiling Points:
Metals typically have high melting and boiling points. - Tensile Strength (dealing with a stretching force):
Metals generally have high tensile strength,
making them useful in structural applications. - Sonorous:
Metals produce a ringing sound when struck.
Learn the difference between
⇓ physical and chemical properties ⇓
NOTE:
These are the properties shared by most metals. There are exceptions such as the following:
- While most metals melt above 1000 o C,
mercury is a liquid at room temperature, and
most of the alkali metals melt below 100 o C.
Aluminium melts at 660 o C and Lead melts at 328 o C. - While lead is very malleable at room temperature, a blacksmith needs to make iron white-hot to make it malleable.
- While most metals appear grey, copper is reddish-brown and gold is a yellow-orange colour.
- While iron is hard and strong,
