METALS

The chemical properties of metals:
Metals can be easily oxidized. Oxidation is informally known as the process of corrosion.
Metals can react with acid in a single displacement reaction to make hydrogen gas and an aqueous solution of a salt.
Some metals, like sodium or calcium will react with water to make a base.
Oxidized: metal-oxygen-rust
The physical properties of metals can be easily explained in terms of this "electron sea" model of metallic bonding. Characteristic physical properties of metals include:
• Metals are ductile (they can be drawn into wires) and metals are malleable (they can be pounded into thin sheets)
• Metals have relatively high melting points and remain in the liquid state over a wide temperature range.
• Metals have varying degrees of hardness
• Metals are usually shiny. They have luster.
• Metals conduct electricity and heat.
The Alkali Metals:
The alkali metals, found in group 1 of the periodic table (formerly known as group IA), are very reactive metals that do not occur freely in nature. These metals have only one electron in their outer shell. As with all metals, the alkali metals are malleable, ductile, and are good conductors of heat and electricity. The alkali metals are softer than most other metals. Cesium and francium are the most reactive elements in this group. Alkali metals can explode if they are exposed to water.
The Alkali Metals are:
• Lithium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Rubidium
• Cesium
• Francium
The Alkaline Earth Metals:
The alkaline earth elements are metallic elements found in the second group of the periodic table. All alkaline earth elements have an oxidation number of +2, making them very reactive. Because of their reactivity, the alkaline metals are not found free in nature.
The Alkaline Earth Metals are:
• Beryllium
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Strontium
• Barium
• Radium
The alkaline earth metals are a series of elements comprising Group 2 (IUPAC style) of the periodic table: beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba) and radium (Ra). The alkaline earth metals provide a good example of group trends in properties in the periodic table, with well characterized homologous behavior down the group.”
The alkaline earth metals are silvered colored, soft metals, which react readily with halogens to form ionic salts, and with water, though not as rapidly as the alkali metals, to form strongly alkaline (basic) hydroxides. For example, where sodium and potassium react with water at room temperature, magnesium reacts only with steam and calcium with hot water:
The Transition Metals:
The 38 elements in groups 3 through 12 of the periodic table are called "transition metals". As with all metals, the transition elements are both ductile and malleable, and conduct electricity and heat. The interesting thing about transition metals is that their valence electrons, or the electrons they use to combine with other elements, are present in more than one shell. This is the reason why they often exhibit several common oxidation states. There are three noteworthy elements in the transition metals family. These elements are iron, cobalt, and nickel, and they are the only elements known to produce a magnetic field.
The Transition Metals are:
• Scandium
• Titanium
• Vanadium
• Chromium
• Manganese
• Iron
• Cobalt
• Nickel
• Copper
• Zinc
• Yttrium
• Zirconium
• Niobium
• Molybdenum
• Technetium
• Ruthenium
• Rhodium
• Palladium
• Tantalum
• Tungsten
• Rhenium
• Osmium
• Iridium
• Platinum
• Gold
• Mercury