Alloy Notes

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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Your notes

Chemistry
Properties, Uses & Alloys of Metals
Contents
Properties of Metals
Uses of Metals
Alloys
Page 1 of 9
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Properties of Metals
Your notes
Physical properties of metals & non-metals
The Periodic Table contains over 100 different elements
They can be divided into two broad types:
Metals
Non-metals
Most of the elements are metals and a small number of elements display properties of both types
These elements are called metalloids or semimetals
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The metallic character diminishes moving left to right across the Periodic Table
Properties of metals Your notes

Conduct heat and electricity
This is because metals have delocalised electrons that are able to move through the metal
structure
Are malleable (can be hammered and made into different shapes) and ductile (can be drawn into wires)
This is because the layers of positive metal ions, in the metal structure, are able to slide over each
other
Usually have high melting and boiling points
This is because there is a strong electrostatic attraction between the positive metal ions and
delocalised electrons (metallic bondmetallic bond)
This strong attraction / bond requires lots of energy to break
Properties of non-metals
Do not conduct heat and electricity
This is because all of the electrons are involved in covalent bonding
One exception to this is graphite
Are brittle when solid and easily break up
They are not malleable or ductile
One exception to this is graphite
Low melting and boiling points
Many non-metals are gases at room temperature
This is because they have weak forces between molecules
These weak intermolecular forces do not require a lot of energy to overcome
Exceptions to this include diamond and silicon(IV) dioxide
Chemical properties of metals

The chemistry of metals is studied by analysing their reactions with water, dilute acid and oxygen
Based on these reactions, a reactivity series of metals can be produced
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Reactions of metals with water

Some metals react with water, either warm or cold, or with steam Your notes
Metals that react with cold water form a metal hydroxide and hydrogen gas
metal + water → metal hydroxide + hydrogen
For example, calcium:
Ca (s) + 2H2O (l) → Ca(OH)2 (aq) + H2 (g)
Metals that react with steam form a metal oxide and hydrogen gas
metal + water → metal oxide + hydrogen
For example, zinc:
Zn (s) + H2O (g) → ZnO (s) + H2 (g)
Reactions of metals with acids

Most metals react with acids, such as HCl
When acids and metals react, the hydrogen atom in the acid is replaced by the metal atom to produce
a salt and hydrogen gas
metal + acid → salt + hydrogen
For example, iron:
Fe (s) + 2HCl (aq) → FeCl2 (aq) + H2 (g)
Reactions of metals with oxygen

Unreactive metals, such as gold and platinum, do not react with oxygen
Some reactive metals, such as the alkali metals, react easily with oxygen
Copper and iron can also react with oxygen, although much more slowly
When metals react with oxygen a metal oxide is formed
metal + oxygen → metal oxide
For example, copper:
2Cu (s) + O2 (g) → 2CuO (s)
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Uses of Metals
Your notes
Uses of metals
What is aluminium used for?
Aluminium sits above hydrogen in the reactivity series, which means that is a reactive metal
Aluminium quickly reacts with oxygen to form a protective layer of aluminium oxide, which is why
aluminium appears to be unreactive
Uses of aluminium
Use Property
aeroplane bodies high strength-to-weight ratio, low density
overhead power cables good electrical conductor, low density
saucepans good thermal conductor
food cans non-toxic, resistant to corrosoin and acidic food stuffs
What is copper used for?

Copper sits below hydrogen in the reactivity series, which means it is an unreactive metal
The uses of copper relate to its properties
For example, it is an excellent electrical conductor and ductile so is used in wiring
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Your notes
Copper is usually the metal inside electrical wires due to it's high conductivity
Uses of copper
Use Property
electrical wiring very good conductor of electricity and ductile
pots and pans very good conductor of heat, unreactive, malleable
water pipes non-toxic, unreactive (does not react with water) and malleable
surface in hospitals antibacterial properties
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Alloys
Your notes
Properties & uses of alloys
An alloy is a mixture of a metal with other elements
Most alloys contain more than one metal
Some alloys contain non-metals
Properties and uses of alloys

Two examples of alloys are:
Brass - an alloy of copper and zinc and is much stronger than either metal
It is used in musical instruments, ornaments and door knobs
Stainless steel - an alloy of iron and other elements, for example, chromium, nickel and carbon
It is used in cutlery because of its hardness and resistance to corrosion / rusting
Other alloys include:
Iron with tungsten - extremely hard and resistant to high temperatures
Iron with chromium / nickel - resistant to corrosion
Aluminium with copper, manganese and silicon - the alloy is stronger but still has a low density,
which makes it ideal for aircraft body production
Alloys often have properties that are different to the metals they contain
For example, they can be:
Stronger
Harder
Resistant to corrosion / extreme temperatures
These enhanced properties can make alloys more useful than pure metals
The structure of an alloy

Alloys have a different structure to metals
Metals have a regular arrangement of ions
Alloys have an irregular arrangement of atoms
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Your notes
The regular arrangement of a metal lattice structure is distorted in alloys
EXAMINER TIP
Alloys are mixtures of substances.
They are not chemically combined, which means that alloys are not compounds.
Questions on this topic often give you a selection of particle diagrams and ask you to choose
the one which represents an alloy.
It will be the diagram with uneven-sized particles and distorted layers or rows of particles.
Explaining the properties of alloys

Extended tier only
Alloys typically contain atoms of different sizes
This distorts the normally regular arrangements of atoms in metals
The regular arrangement in a metal is layers of positive ions in a sea of delocalised electrons
The distortion makes it more difficult for the layers to slide over each other
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So, alloys are usually harder / stronger than pure metals
Your notes
Page 9 of 9

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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Your notes

Properties of metals Your notes

Chemical properties of metals

Reactions of metals with water

Reactions of metals with acids

Reactions of metals with oxygen

aeroplane bodies high strength-to-weight ratio, low density

overhead power cables good electrical conductor, low density

saucepans good thermal conductor

food cans non-toxic, resistant to corrosoin and acidic food stuffs

What is copper used for?

electrical wiring very good conductor of electricity and ductile

pots and pans very good conductor of heat, unreactive, malleable

surface in hospitals antibacterial properties

Properties and uses of alloys

The structure of an alloy

The regular arrangement of a metal lattice structure is distorted in alloys

Explaining the properties of alloys

So, alloys are usually harder / stronger than pure metals

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