Metallic elements and their alloys are among our most useful materials

• They conduct heat and electricity.
• They are malleable (can be pressed into shapes).
• Their strength makes them an ideal material for use in the construction industry.

There is also much of interest to learn about their chemistry.

Some things that you might think about before you move on are:

• In what ways are metals different from non-metals?
• Where are metal elements placed in the periodic table?
• Can you write chemical formulae for metal salts, oxides and hydroxides?

To understand some of the explanations in this revision bite you need to know these words:

• A Salt is an ionic compound formed when an acid reacts with a metal or is neutralised by an base.
• An Alkali is a base which has been dissolved in water (and can neutralise acids).
• Decompose - means that a compound can break up into its separate elements.
• An ore is a naturally occurring compound of a metal. Metal ores are usually oxides, carbonates or sulphides.
• State symbols are ways of representing the state that a substance is in. For example ( s ) = solid ( l ) = liquid ( g ) = gas ( aq ) = in aqueous solution.