Question

Metals show a wide range of chemical behavior. Give examples of that variation by describing some common properties of calcium, gold, iron, and sodium.

Answer 1

Explanation:

Atomic number of sodium is 11 and it is a group 1 element. Hence, it is most reactive in nature.

Some properties of sodium are as follows.

• It is one of the most chemically reactive metals.

• When it is not stored properly, sodium reacts explosively with air or water.

Atomic number of calcium is 20 and it is a group 2 element. Some properties of calcium are as follows.

• Calcium is less reactive than sodium, but it is more reactive than most metals.

• Both sodium and calcium are always found as compounds in nature, and they are never present as elements.

Atomic number of iron is 26 and it is a d-block element. Therefore, it is also known as transition element.

Some properties of iron are as follows.

• Iron also reacts with oxygen, but it does so over a period of time.

• When not protected by a coating then iron will gradually turn to rust, a compound of iron and oxygen.

Atomic number of gold is 79 and it is also a transition element. A property of gold is that it does not react easily with other substances.

Answer 2

The elements calcium, gold, iron and sodium are all metals. They all have a tendency to donate their valance electrons, rather than acquiring additional valance electrons. They all form metallic bonds, in the form of a shared electron cloud. They all have the electrical conductivity and metallic luster which comes with metallic bonds.