Metals, Non-metals and Carbon Compounds
Metals, Non-metals and Carbon Compounds covers reactivity, extraction, alloys and corrosion, then the versatile chemistry of carbon: allotropes, hydrocarbons and functional groups.
Core ideas
- Metals are generally lustrous, malleable, ductile and good conductors; non-metals are often brittle, dull and poor conductors, except graphite.
- Reactivity series orders metals by reactivity. More reactive metals displace less reactive ones from salt solutions.
- Extraction of metals depends on reactivity: very reactive metals by electrolysis, moderately reactive by reduction with carbon, unreactive metals found native.
- Alloys are mixtures of metals or metal with non-metal; they often improve hardness or resist corrosion.
- Carbon forms covalent bonds and catenates, giving millions of compounds. Allotropes include diamond, graphite and fullerene.
- Hydrocarbons contain only carbon and hydrogen. Functional groups such as alcohol (-OH), carboxylic acid (-COOH), aldehyde (-CHO) and ketone (-CO-) determine properties.
- Ethanol is an alcohol; ethanoic acid is a carboxylic acid and gives vinegar its sour taste.
Worked example
Place a zinc strip in blue copper sulphate solution. Zinc is above copper in the reactivity series, so Zn + CuSO4 -> ZnSO4 + Cu. The blue colour fades and a red-brown deposit of copper appears. Reasoning: zinc displaces copper ions; zinc is oxidised and copper ions are reduced.
Traps that cost marks
Graphite is a non-metal that conducts electricity. Diamond and graphite are allotropes of carbon, not different elements. Alloys are mixtures, not compounds. Do not confuse ethanol C2H5OH with ethanoic acid CH3COOH.