Easy Science Notes By M. L.

Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

Metals are electropositive elements with following physical properties

1. Metals are solids. (except mercury)
2. Metals are hard. (except Lithium, Potassium, Sodium) Metals have metallic lustre.
(shine)
3. Metals are malleable. (can be beaten into thin sheets) Metals are ductile. (can be drawn
into wires)
4. Metals have high melting points. (Gallium and Ceasium have low melting points. They
melt in the palm of the hand)
5. Metals have high boiling points.
6. Metals are good conductors of heat. ( Best conductors are silver and copper. Poor
conductors are Lead and Mercury)
7. Metals are good conductors of electricity. ( Best conductors are Silver and Copper)
8. Metals are sonorus. (produce sound when beaten)
9. Mercury expands significantly for the slightest change in temperature.
10. They have very high Tensile strength.
Nonmetals are electronegative elements with following physical properties
1. Non metals may be solids, liquids or gases. (Solids – Carbon, Sulphur, Phosphorus etc.
Liquid – Bromine, Gases – Oxygen, Hydrogen, Nitrogen etc.)
2. Non metals are soft. (except diamond which is the hardest natural substance)
3. Non metals do not have lustre.(except iodine cryatals)
4. Non metals are not malleable.
5. Non metals are not ductile.on metals which are solids and liquids have low melting
points and boiling points.
6. Non metals are bad conductors of heat.
7. Non metals are bad conductors of electricity. (except graphite)
8. Non metals are not sonorus.
9. They don’t have tensile strength
Physical Properties

Property Metals Non-Metals

1. Lustre Metals have shining surface. They do not have shining
surface.
• Except Iodine.
2. Hardness They are generally hard. Generally soft.
• Except Sodium, Lithium and • Except Diamond, a form of carbon
Potassium which are soft and can which is the hardest natural
be cut with knife. substance.
3. State Exist as solids. Exist as solids or gaseous.
• Except Mercury. • Except Bromine.
4. Malleability Metals can be beaten into thin Non-metals are non-malleable.
sheets.
• Gold and Silver are the most
malleable metals.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

5. Ductility Metals can be drawn into thin They are non-ductile.

wires.
6. Conductor of Metals are good conductors of Non-metals are poor conductor
heat & electricity heat and electricity. of heat and electricity.
• Silver (Ag) and Copper (Cu): • Except Graphite.
Best conductors of heat.
• Lead (Pb), Mercury (Hg) poor
conductor of heat.
7. Density Generally have high density and Have low density and low melting
high melting point. point.
• Except Sodium and Potassium.
8. Sonorous Metals produce a sound on They are not sonorous.
striking a hard surface.
9. Oxides Metallic oxides are basic in Non-metallic oxides are acidic in
nature. nature.

Chemical Properties of Metals

• Reaction of metals with air
→ Metals combine with oxygen to form metal oxide.
Metal + O2 → Metal oxide
Examples:
(i) 2Cu + O2 → 2CuO
Copper oxide (black)
(ii) 4Al + 3O2 → 2Al2O3
Aluminium oxide
(iii) 2Mg + O 2 → 2MgO

The reactivity of different metals are different with O2.

→ Na and K react so vigorously that they catch fire if kept in open so they are kept immersed in
kerosene.
→ Surfaces of Mg, Al, Zn, Pb are covered with a thin layer of oxide which prevent them from
further oxidation.
→ Fe does not burn on heating but iron fillings burn vigorously.
→ Cu does not burn but is coated with black copper oxide.
→ Au and Ag does not react with oxygen.

→ Amphoteric Oxides: Metal oxides which react with both acids as well as bases to produce
salts and water are called amphoteric oxides.

Examples:
(i) Al2O3 + 6HCl → 2AlCl3 + H2O
(ii) Al2O3 + 2NaOH → 2NaAlO2 + H2O
Sodium Aluminate

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

• Reaction of metals with water

→ Metal + Water → Metal oxide + Hydrogen

→ Metal oxide + Water → Metal hydroxide

Examples:
(i) 2Na + 2H2O → 2NaOH + H2 + Heat
(ii) Ca + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2
(iii) Mg + 2H2O → Mg(OH)2 + H2
(iv) 2Al + 3H2O → Al2O3 + 3H2
(v) 3Fe + 4H2O → Fe3O4 + 4H2
• Reaction of metals with acids (Dilute)
→ Metal + Dilute acid → Salt + H2
→ Cu, Ag, Hg do not react with dil. acids.
Examples:
(i) Fe + 2HCl → FeCl2 + H2
(ii) Mg + 2HCl → MgCl2+ H2
(iii) Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + H2
(iv) 2Al + 6HCl → 2AlCl3 + 3H2

• Reaction of Metals with Solutions of other Metal Salts

→ Metal A + Salt solution B → Salt solution A + Metal B
→ Reactive metals can displace less reactive metals from their compounds in solution form.

Fe + CuSO4→ FeSO4 + Cu
Reactivity Series
The reactivity series is a list of metals arranged in the order of their decreasing activities.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

• Reaction of Metals with Non-metals

→ Reactivity of elements is the tendency to attain a completely filled valence shell.
→ Atoms of the metals lose electrons from their valence shell to form cation. Atom of the non-
metals gain electrons in the valence shell to form anion.

E.g.: Formation of NaCl

Na → Na+ + e-
2, 8, 1 2, 8

Sodium cation
Cl + e- → Cl-
2, 8, 7 2, 8, 8

Chloride anion

Ionic compounds

The compounds formed by the transfer of electrons from a metal to a non-metal are called ionic
compounds or electrovalent compounds.

• Properties of Ionic Compounds

(i) Physical nature: They are solid and hard, generally brittle.
(ii) Melting and Boiling Point: They have high melting and boiling point.
(iii) Solubility : Generally soluble in water and insoluble in solvents such as kerosene, petrol etc.
(iv) Conduction of electricity : Ionic compounds conduct electricity in molten and solution form
but not in solid state.

• Occurrence of Metals
(i) Minerals: The elements or compounds which occur naturally in the earth’s crust are called
minerals.
(ii) Ores: Minerals that contain very high percentage of particular metal and the metal can be
profitably extracted from it, such minerals are called ores.

Extraction of Metals from Ores

Step 1. Enrichment of ores.
Step 2. Extraction of metals.
Step 3. Refining of metals.
1. Enrichment of ores: In involves removal of impurities, such as soil, sand, etc. from mined
ores.
* The impurities such as soil, sand, etc., are called gangue.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

The processes used for removing the gangue from the ore are based on the differences
between their respective physical or chemical properties.
Some of the process applied for concentration of ores include gravity separation,
electromagnetic separation, froth flotation process, etc.
2. Extraction of metals from their ores
(i) Extraction of metals low in the activity series: Metals low in the activity series are very
unreactive. The oxides of these metals can be reduced to metals by heating alone.
For example: Cinnabar (HgS) which is an ore of mercury is first converted into mercuric oxide
(HgO) on heating in air. Mercuric oxide is then reduced to mercury on further heating.
2HgS(s) + 3O2(g) (Heat) → 2HgO(s) + 2SO2(g)
2HgO(s) (Heat) → 2Hg(l) + O2(g)
(ii) Extraction of metals in the middle of the activity series:
The metals in the middle of the activity series such as iron, zinc, lead, copper, are usually
present as sulphides or carbonates in nature.
It is easier to obtain a metal from its oxide, as compared to its sulphides and carbonates.
Therefore the metal sulphides and carbonates are converted into metal oxides.
Extraction of metals from the concentrated ores
(b) Roasting: Heating of sulphide ores in the presence of excess air to convert them into oxides
is known as roasting.
2ZnS + 3O2 (Heat) → 2ZnO + 2SO2
(c) Calcination: Heating of carbonate ores in the limited supply of air to convert them into
oxides is known as calcination.
ZnCO3 (Heat) → ZnO + CO2
(d) Reduction: Reducing the metal oxides to the corresponding metals by using suitable
reducing agents is known as reduction.
ZnO + C → Zn + CO
⇨ The highly reactive metals such as sodium, calcium, aluminium, etc., are also used as
reducing agents because they can displace metals of lower reactivity from their compounds.
⇨ These displacement reactions are highly exothermic. The amount of heat evolved is so large
that the metals are produced in the molten state.
Thermit reaction: This is the reaction of iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) with aluminium which is used to
join railway tracks or cracked machine parts.
Fe2O3(s) + 2Al(s) → 2Fe(l) + Al2O3(s) + Heat
Extracting metals towards the top of the activity series

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

The metals are highly reactive. They cannot be obtained by heating. For Example,
Sodium, magnesium and calcium are obtained by the electrolysis of their molten
chlorides.
At cathode Na+ + e- → Na
At anode 2Cl- → Cl2 + 2e-

• Refining of metals
The most widely used method for refining impure metal is electrolytic refining.
Impure copper is used as anode and a strip of pure copper is used as Cathode. Acidified
copper sulphate is used as an electrolyte. When an electric current is passed through
this, impure metal from the anode gets deposited in the electrolyte solution, whereas
pure metal from the electrolyte is deposited at the cathode.
Deposition of insoluble residue formed from the dissolution of the anode during
commercial electrolysis.

Fig.2. Electrolytic refining

Corrosion
Corrosion is the process of slowly eating up metals by gas and water vapours present in the
atmosphere due to the formation of certain compounds like oxide, sulphides, carbonate, etc.
these compounds often peel off thereby exposing fresh layer for further corrosion.

Examples:

(i) Silver becomes black when exposed to air as it reacts with air to form a coating of silver
sulphide.

(ii) Copper reacts with moist carbon dioxide in the air and gains a green coat of copper
carbonate.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

(iii) Iron when exposed to moist air acquires a coating of a brown flaky substance called rust.
The corrosion of iron is called Rusting.

• Prevention of Corrosion

→The rusting of iron can be prevented by painting, oiling, greasing, galvanizing, chrome plating,
anodizing or making alloys.

→ Galvanization : It is a method of protecting steel and iron from rusting by coating them with a
thin layer of zinc.

→ Alloy : An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of two or more metals or a metal and a non- metal.

→ Examples of alloy:

(i) Iron : Mixed with small amount of carbon becomes hard and strong.
(ii) Steel : Iron + Nickel and chromium
(iii) Brass : Copper + Zinc
(iv) Bronze : Copper + Tin (Sn)
(v) Solder : Lead + tin
(vi) Amalgam : If one of the metal is mercury (Hg).

Textual Questions
Intex Questions
In Text Questions

Q1. Give an example of a metal which

(i) is a liquid at room temperature.
► Mercury
(ii) can be easily cut with a knife.
► Sodium
(iii) is the best conductor of heat.
► Silver
(iv) is a poor conductor of heat.
► Mercury and Lead

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

Q.2.Explain the meanings of malleable and ductile.

Answer: Malleable: Substances that can be beaten into thin sheets are called malleable. For
example, most of the metals are malleable.
Ductile: Substances that can be drawn into thin wires are called ductile. For example, most of
the metals are ductile.
Q.1. Why is sodium kept immersed in kerosene oil?
Answer: Sodium is high reactive element. If it is kept in open it can explosively react with
oxygen to catch fire. Hence to prevent accidental damage sodium is immersed in kerosene oil.
Q.2. Write equations for the reactions of
(i) iron with steam
(ii) calcium and potassium with water
Answer: Reaction of Iron with stream
(i) 3Fe (s) + 4H2O (g) → Fe3O4 (aq) + 4H2 (g)
(ii) Reaction of calcium and potassium with water
Ca (s) + 2H2O (l) → Ca(OH)2 (aq) + H2 (g) + Heat
2K (s) + 2H2O (l) → 2KOH (aq) + H2 (g) + Heat
Q.3. Samples of four metals A, B, C and D were taken and added to the following solution
one by one. The results obtained have been tabulated as follows.

MetalIron (II) sulphate Cooper (II) sulphate Zinc sulphate Silver nitrate
A. No reaction Displacement
B. Displacement No reaction
C. No reaction No reaction No reaction Displacement
D. No reaction No reaction No reaction No reaction

Use the Table above to answer the following questions about metals A, B, C and D.
(i) Which is the most reactive metal?
(ii) What would you observe if B is added to a solution of copper (II) sulphate?
(iii) Arrange the metals A, B, C and D in the order of decreasing reactivity.
Answer: (i) B is most reactive metal.
(ii) B will displace copper from copper sulphate.
(iii) Arrangement of metals in the order of decreasing reactivity B>A>C>D.
Q.4. Which gas is produced when dilute hydrochloric acid is added to a reactive metal?
Write the chemical reaction when iron reacts with dilute H2SO4.
Answer: Hydrogen gas is evolved when dilute hydrochloric acid is added to a reactive metal.
When iron reacts with dilute H2SO4, iron (II) sulphate with the evolution of hydrogen gas is
formed.
Fe (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → FeSO4 (aq) + H2 (g)
Q.5. What would you observe when zinc is added to a solution of iron (II) sulphate? Write
the chemical reaction that takes place.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

Answer: When zinc is added to iron (II) sulphate then it will displace the iron from iron sulphate
solution as shown in the following chemical reaction.
Zn (s) + FeSO4 (aq) → ZnSO4 (aq) + Fe (s)
Q.1. (i) Write the electron-dot structures for sodium, oxygen and magnesium.
(ii) Show the formation of Na2O and MgO by the transfer of electrons.
(iii) What are the ions present in these compounds?
Answer: (i) The representation of elements with valence electrons as dots around the elements
is referred to as electron-dot structure for elements.

(ii)

(iii) The ions present in Na2O are Na+ and O2- ions and in MgO are Mg2+ and O2- ions.
Q.2. Why do ionic compounds have high melting points?
Answer: Ionic compounds have strong electrostatic forces of attraction between the ions.
Therefore, it requires a lot of energy to overcome these forces. That is why ionic compounds
have high melting points.
Q.1. Define the following terms.
(i) Mineral (ii) Ore (iii) Gangue
Answer: (i) Mineral: The naturally occurring compounds of elements are known as Mineral.
(ii) Ore: Minerals from which metals can be extracted profitably are known as ores.
(iii) Gangue: The impurities present in the ore such as sand, rocks etc are non as gangue.
Q.2. Name two metals which are found in nature in the free state.
Answer: The metals at the bottom of the reactivity series are mostly found in free state. For
example: gold, silver, and platinum.
Q.3. What chemical process is used for obtaining a metal from its oxide?
Answer: A metal can be extracted from its oxide by the process of reduction.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

Q.1. Metallic oxides of zinc, magnesium and copper were heated with the following
metals.

Metal Zinc Magnesium Copper

Zinc oxide - - -
Magnesium oxide - - -
Copper oxide - - -
In which cases will you find displacement reactions taking place?
Answer

Metal Zinc Magnesium Copper

Zinc oxide No reaction Displacement No reaction
Magnesium oxide No reaction No reaction No reaction
Copper oxide Displacement Displacement No reaction

Q.2. Which metals do not corrode easily?

Answer: Metals which have low reactivity such as silver, gold does not corrode easily.
Q.3. What are alloys?
Answer: An alloy is the homogeneous mixture of two or more metals or metals and non metals.
For example brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.

Excercise
Q.1. Which of the following pairs will give displacement reactions?
(a) NaCl solution and copper metal
(b) MgCl2solution and aluminium metal
(c) FeSO4solution and silver metal
(d) AgNO3solution and copper metal.
► (d) AgNO3solution and copper metal.
Q.2. Which of the following methods is suitable for preventing an iron frying pan from
rusting?
(a) Applying grease
(b) Applying paint
(c) Applying a coating of zinc
(d) all of the above.
► (c) Applying a coating of zinc
Q.3. An element reacts with oxygen to give a compound with a high melting point. This
compound is also soluble in water. The element is likely to be
(a) calcium
(b) carbon

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

(c) silicon
(d) iron
► (a) calcium
Q.4. Food cans are coated with tin and not with zinc because
(a) zinc is costlier than tin.
(b) zinc has a higher melting point than tin.
(c) zinc is more reactive than tin.
(d) zinc is less reactive than tin.
► (c) zinc is more reactive than tin.
Q.5. You are given a hammer, a battery, a bulb, wires and a switch.
(a) How could you use them to distinguish between samples of metals and non-metals?
(b) Assess the usefulness of these tests in distinguishing between metals and non-metals.
Anwer: (a) With the hammer, we can beat the sample and if it can be beaten into thin
sheets (that is, it is malleable), then it is a metal otherwise a non-metal. Similarly, we can use
the battery, bulb, wires, and a switch to set up a circuit with the sample. If the sample conducts
electricity, then it is a metal otherwise a non-metal.
(b) The above tests are useful in distinguishing between metals and non-metals as these
are based on the physical properties. No chemical reactions are involved in these tests.
Q.6. What are amphoteric oxides? Give two examples of amphoteric oxides.
Answer: Those oxides that behave as both acidic and basic oxides are called amphoteric
oxides.
Examples: aluminium oxide (Al2O3), zinc oxide (ZnO)
Q.7. Name two metals which will displace hydrogen from dilute acids, and two metals
which will not.
Answer: Iron and aluminium will displace hydrogen from dilute acids as they more reactive then
hydrogen. Mercury and copper cannot displace hydrogen from dilute acids as they are less
reactive than hydrogen.
Q.8. In the electrolytic refining of a metal M, what would you take as the anode, the
cathode and the electrolyte?
Answer: In the electrolytic refining of a metal M:
Anode → Impure metal M
Cathode → Thin strip of pure metal M
Electrolyte → Solution of salt of the metal M
Q.9. Pratyush took sulphur powder on a spatula and heated it. He collected the gas
evolved by inverting a test tube over it, as shown in figure below.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

(a) What will be the action of gas on

(i) dry litmus paper?
(ii) moist litmus paper?
(b) Write a balanced chemical equation for the reaction taking place.
Answer:(a) (i) There will be no action on dry litmus paper.
(ii) The colour of litmus paper will turn red because sulphur is a non-metal and the oxides of
non-metal are acidic in nature.
(b) S (s) + O2(g) → SO2 (g)

Q.10. State two ways to prevent the rusting of iron.

Answer: Two ways to prevent the rusting of iron are:
→ Oiling, greasing, or painting: By applying oil, grease, or paint, the surface becomes water
proof and the moisture and oxygen present in the air cannot come into direct contact with iron.
Hence, rusting is prevented.
→ Galvanisation:An iron article is coated with a layer of zinc metal, which prevents the iron to
come in contact with oxygen and moisture. Hence, rusting is prevented.
Q.11. What type of oxides are formed when non-metals combine with oxygen?
Answer: When non-metals are combined with oxygen then neutral or acidic oxides are formed.
Examples of acidic oxides are NO2, SO2 and examples of neutral oxides are NO, CO etc.
Q.12. Give reasons
(a) Platinum, gold and silver are used to make jewellery.
(b) Sodium, potassium and lithium are stored under oil.
(c) Aluminium is a highly reactive metal, yet it is used to make utensils for cooking.
(d) Carbonate and sulphide ores are usually converted into oxides during the process of
extraction.
Answer: (a) Platinum, gold, and silver are used to make jewellery because they are very
lustrous. Also, they are very less reactive and do not corrode easily.

(b) Sodium, potassium, and lithium are very reactive metals and react very vigorously with air as
well as water.Therefore, they are kept immersed in kerosene oil in order to prevent their contact
with air and moisture.
(c) Though aluminium is a highly reactive metal, it is resistant to corrosion. This is because
aluminium reacts with oxygen present in air to form a thin layer of aluminium oxide. This oxide
layer is very stable and prevents further reaction of aluminium with oxygen. Also, it is light in
weight and a good conductor of heat. Hence, it is used to make cooking utensils.

(d) Carbonate and sulphide ores are usually converted into oxides during the process of
extraction because metals can be easily extracted from their oxides rather than from their
carbonates and sulphides.

Q.13. You must have seen tarnished copper vessels being cleaned with lemon or
tamarind juice. Explain why these sour substances are effective in cleaning the vessels.
Answer: Copper reacts with moist carbon dioxide in air to form copper carbonate and as a
result, copper vessel loses its shiny brown surface forming a green layer of copper carbonate.

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Easy Science Notes By M. L. Pala For Class 10th Chapter Metals and Non-metals

The citric acid present in the lemon or tamarind neutralises the basis copper carbonate and
dissolves the layer. That is why, tarnished copper vessels are cleaned with lemon or tamarind
juice to give the surface of the copper vessel its characteristic lustre.

Q.14. Differentiate between metal and non-metal on the basis of their chemical
properties.
Answer

Metal Non-metal
Metals are electropositive. Non-metals are electronegative.
Oxides of metal are basic in nature. Oxides of non-metals are acidic in
nature.
Metals displace hydrogen from dilute They can't replace hydrogen from dilute
acids. acids.
Metals form chlorides which are Non-metals form chlorides which are
electrovalent or ionic compounds. covalent compounds.
They react with water to form oxides and They do not react with water.
hydroxides. Some metals react with cold
water, some with hot water, and some with
steam.

Q.15. A man went door to door posing as a goldsmith. He promised to bring back the
glitter of old and dull gold ornaments. An unsuspecting lady gave a set of gold bangles
to him which he dipped in a particular solution. The bangles sparkled like new but their
weight was reduced drastically. The lady was upset but after a futile argument the man
beat a hasty retreat. Can you play the detective to find out the nature of the solution he
had used?
Answer: The solution he had used was Aqua regia. Aqua regia is Latin word which means
‘Royal Water’. It is the mixture of concentrated Hydrochloric acid and concentrated nitric acid in
the ratio of 3:1. It is capable of dissolving metals like Gold and Platinum. Since the outer layer of
the gold bangles is dissolved in aqua regia (a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid,
optimally in a molar ratio of 1:3) so their weight was reduced drastically.

Q.16. Give reasons why copper is used to make hot water tanks and not steel (an alloy of
iron).
Answer: Copper does not react with cold water, hot water, or steam. However, iron reacts with
steam. If the hot water tanks are made of steel (an alloy of iron), then iron would react
vigorously with the steam formed from hot water.
3Fe + 4H2O → Fe3O4 + H2O
That is why copper is used to make hot water tanks, and not steel.

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