Metals, Non-Metals & Alloys

Master this topic with zero to advance depth.

Chemistry Decoder: The World of Elements

Metals are the "Givers" (they love losing electrons) and Non-metals are the "Takers" (they love gaining electrons).

Property	Metals	Non-Metals
Appearance	Lustrous (Shiny).	Dull (Except Iodine/Diamond).
Hardness	Hard (Except Sodium/Potassium).	Soft (Except Diamond).
Conductivity	Good (Best: Silver).	Poor (Except Graphite).
Malleable	Can be beaten into sheets.	Brittle (Bread-like).

Think of elements as people in a playground. The "Strongest/Most Reactive" ones stay at the top.

Top (Very Reactive): Potassium (K), Sodium (Na) -> Must be kept in Kerosene.
Middle (Reactive): Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Lead (Pb).
Bottom (Least Reactive): Gold (Au), Platinum (Pt) -> The "Noble Metals".

Some oxides act as both Acid and Base. Ex: Aluminium Oxide ( $Al_2O_3$ ) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO).

An alloy is a mixture of two or more metals (or a metal and a non-metal).

Alloy	Composition	Common Use
Brass	Copper (Cu) + Zinc (Zn)	Utensils, Musical instruments.
Bronze	Copper (Cu) + Tin (Sn)	Medals, Statues.
Stainless Steel	Iron + Chromium + Nickel	Surgical tools, Kitchenware.
Solder	Lead (Pb) + Tin (Sn)	Joining electrical wires.

[!TIP]
Amalgam: If one of the metals in an alloy is Mercury (Hg), it is called an Amalgam.