Chemical Properties Of Metals And Non-Metals

Key Notes :

Reaction with Oxygen:

  • Metals: Most metals react with oxygen to form oxides. These oxides are usually basic in nature. For example, magnesium reacts with oxygen to form magnesium oxide.
  • Non-metals: Non-metals also react with oxygen, but they form acidic oxides. For example, carbon reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide.

Reaction with Water:

  • Metals: Some metals react with water to form metal hydroxides and release hydrogen gas. For example, sodium reacts with water to form sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas.
  • Non-metals: Non-metals generally do not react with water, or their reactions are much slower. For instance, oxygen does not react with water at normal temperatures.

Reaction with Acids:

  • Metals: Most metals react with acids to form salts and release hydrogen gas. For example, zinc reacts with hydrochloric acid to form zinc chloride and hydrogen gas.
  • Non-metals: Non-metals do not react with acids in the same way metals do. Sulfur, for example, forms sulfuric acid when dissolved in water, but it does not release hydrogen gas.

Reaction with Bases:

  • Metals: Some metals react with bases to form complex salts. For example, aluminum reacts with sodium hydroxide to form sodium tetrahydroaluminate and hydrogen gas.
  • Non-metals: Non-metals do not typically react with bases.

Formation of Ionic or Covalent Compounds:

  • Metals: Metals typically form ionic compounds by losing electrons to form cations. These cations combine with non-metals to form salts.
  • Non-metals: Non-metals typically form covalent compounds by sharing electrons with other non-metals. For example, chlorine atoms share electrons to form chlorine molecules (Cl₂).

Acidity and Basicity of Oxides:

  • Metal Oxides: Most metal oxides are basic in nature and dissolve in water to form alkaline solutions. For example, calcium oxide forms calcium hydroxide when dissolved in water.
  • Non-metal Oxides: Non-metal oxides are acidic in nature and dissolve in water to form acids. For example, sulfur dioxide forms sulfuric acid when dissolved in water.

Reactivity with Hydrogen:

  • Metals: Some metals like sodium and potassium react with hydrogen to form hydrides (ionic compounds).
  • Non-metals: Non-metals like chlorine and nitrogen can form covalent bonds with hydrogen to produce hydrogen chloride (HCl) and ammonia (NH₃).

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