Metals

Alkali metals

Lithium, the lightest metal

Sodium: a single outer electron, a reaction with water and a yellow flame

Potassium reacts violently with water

From lithium to caesium: comparing the alkali metals

Alkaline earth metals

The bright flame and light alloys of magnesium

The calcium in limestone, shells, bones and teeth

Amphoteric metals

Making aluminium takes a lot of electricity

Zinc or iron: which dissolves first?

Tin resists corrosion, while lead is heavy

Transition elements

How do transition elements differ from main-group elements?

Chromium and manganese, whose colours change with their oxidation numbers

How iron rusts and how it is made from ore

Copper for wires and coins

Which metal conducts electricity best? Silver

Why gold never loses its shine

Properties of metals

Ranking metals by how readily they form ions

Body-centred cubic, face-centred cubic and hexagonal close-packed