Properties of Metals

What you need to know:

� What is a metal?

� What are the physical properties of

metals?

� Why are metals useful?

Properties of Metals

To Do:

� Complete the

Properties of
Metals worksheet

1. Saucepans are made of

copper, iron, steel or

aluminium

Metals are good thermal
conductors

Most metals have high
melting points

2. Electrical wires are made

of copper

Metals are good electrical
conductors

Most metals are ductile...
... they can be drawn out into

wires

Most metals are flexible

3. Springs are usually
made of steel (an alloy
of iron)

Most metals are flexible

4. A lot of jewellery is
made of gold

Metals are lustrous...

... shiny when polished or freshly

cut

Most metals are ductile

Most metals are malleable...

... they can be beaten flat into
sheets

5. Bells are made of bronze

(an alloy of copper and
tin) or brass (an alloy of
copper and zinc)

Most metals are sonorous...

... they ring when hit, rather

than make a dull thud

6. The framework of
skyscrapers is made of
iron or steel girders

Most metals are strong

Because metals are flexible,
buildings with a metal frame
have some ‘give’ in them...

... meaning that they survive
better during earthquakes

Iron and steel are much lighter
than brick or stone so
metal-framed buildings can be
taller than masonry buildings

7. The filament in
light bulbs is
made of
tungsten

Metals are good electrical
conductors

Most metals have a high melting
point

(The filament glows because it gets

very hot – 2000 to 3000 ˚C)

8. Saw blades are
made of steel

Most metals are hard

The harder the blade is, the less
quickly it goes blunt

9. Flashing – the joins
on roofs are
waterproofed with
sheets of lead

Most metals are malleable...

... so the lead flashing can be
moulded to the contours

of the

roof

10. The casing on
compasses is made
of brass or
aluminium

Most metals are NOT magnetic

Only iron, nickel and cobalt (and
their alloys) are magnetic

If we made the casing of a
compass from a magnetic metal it
would shield the compass needle
from the Earth’s magnetic field...

... so the compass would not
work!

C

A

B

D

Which is the odd one out?

Copper is non-magnetic –

iron, cobalt and nickel

are magnetic

Iron

Cobalt

Copper

Nickel

C

D

Which is the odd one out?

A

Antimony

B

Palladium

Arsenic

Graphite

Palladium is the only
metal – the others are

non-metals

D

A

C

Which is the odd one out?

Titanium

Mercury

Iridium

B

Aluminium

Mercury is liquid at room
temperature – the others

are solids at room

temperature

A

Which is the odd one out?

Aluminium

B

Bronze

C

Electrum

D

Brass

Aluminium is an element
– the others are mixtures
of two or more elements

C
A

B

D

Which is the odd one out?

Calcium is in Group 2 –

the others are in Group 1

of the Periodic Table

Sodium

Potassium

Calcium

Lithium

C

D

Which is the odd one out?

A

Silver

B

Tin

Copper

Gold

Tin is only found as a

compound – the others often
occur naturally as elements

D

A

C

Which is the odd one out?

Good Thermal

Conductor

Magnetic

Sonorous

B

Malleable

Only cobalt, nickel and iron
are magnetic – the others

are properties of most

metallic elements

A

Which is the odd one out?

Selenium

B

Calcium

C

Palladium

Zinc

Selenium is a non-metal
– the others are metals

D

C

D

Which is the odd one out?

A

Iron

B

Thallium

Zinc

Magnesium

Thallium is extremely toxic –
you need small quantities of

the others in your diet to

remain healthy

C

Which is the odd one out?

A

Molybdenum

B

Copper

Yttrium

Tungsten

Copper has been known since

ancient times – the others
were discovered in the 18th

Century

D

Match

Match the following

• All metals are shiny when polished or freshly cut

• Metals do not break - they bend

• Metals can be drawn into wires

• Metals can be hammered into sheets

• Metals ring like a bell when hit - they do not make a dull thud

Lustrous

Flexible

Ductile

Malleable

Sonorous

• Lustrous

• Flexible

• Ductile

• Malleable

• Sonorous

Match

Match the following

• All metals conduct electricity

• Metals allow energy to flow through them, causing heating

• Properties of Metals

• Not Properties of Most Metals

Electrical Conductor

Thermal Conductor

Strong, High Melting Point, Hard

Magnetic, Brittle

• Electrical Conductor

• Thermal Conductor

• Strong, High Melting Point, Hard

• Magnetic, Brittle