Metals are a set of elements with distinct characters.
The periodic table has a total of 118 elements, and of them, 91 of them are metals.
These metals can be categorized as
- Alkali metals
- Alkaline earth metals and
- Transition metals (including lanthanides and actinides).
So, let us see the list of metals in the above categories.
Alkali Metals
| Sl.No | Metal name | Atomic number | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithium | 3 | Highly reactive |
| 2 | Sodium | 11 | Major electrolyte |
| 3 | Potassium | 19 | An Electrolyte and essential for plant growth |
| 4 | Rubidium | 37 | |
| 5 | Cesium | 55 | |
| 6 | Francium | 87 |
The alkali metals are in group IA. They are positioned on the far left side of the periodic table.
They are highly reactive elements because of their +1 oxidation state.
Thus, they quickly lose an electron forming an octet in its outer shell (completely filled) and forming compounds.
These elements are rarely found in isolated forms in nature due to their highly reactive property.
They predominantly form basic oxides and hydroxides and are hence called alkali metals. They have very low ionization enthalpy (amount of energy needed to lose an electron), so they are very reactive.
These elements, with their atomic numbers, are
Alkaline Earth Metals
The alkaline earth metals are arranged in group IIA of the periodic table. This is the second column of the periodic table after the alkali metal group.
The atoms of all the alkaline earth metals have a +2 oxidation state. They are also quite reactive, like alkali metals, as they can easily lose two electrons to form compounds.
Thus, these elements are found mostly in a compound rather than pure substance form. These alkaline earth metals are quite reactive but are still less than the alkali metals.
They have low ionization energy but more than alkali metals, so they are reactive.
| Metal Name | Atomic number | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Beryllium | 4 | Used in nuclear research |
| Magnesium | 12 | An important element in chlorophyll |
| Calcium | 20 | The main component of bones |
| Strontium | 38 | |
| Barium | 56 | |
| Radium | 88 | This is a radioactive element |
Basic Metals
The basic metals are those elements that display the characteristics generally associated with the term “metal.”
They are spread over multiple columns/groups. They can conduct heat and electricity.
They also possess a metallic luster and are ductile and malleable. However, these elements also display some nonmetallic characteristics.
While most metals are hard, lead and gallium are soft.
These elements generally have lower melting and boiling points than the transition metals (with some exceptions).
| Metal Name | Atomic number | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum | 13 | lightweight metal. |
| Gallium | 31 | |
| Indium | 49 | |
| Tin | 50 | |
| Thallium | 81 | |
| Lead | 82 | Poor conductor of electricity and heat. |
| Bismuth | 83 | |
| Nihonium | 113 | |
| Flerovium | 114 | |
| Moscovium | 115 | |
| Livermorium | 116 | |
| Tennessine | 117 | Synthetic, metalloid in the halogen group |
Transition Metals
The transition metals are characterized by having partially filled ‘D’ or ‘F’ electron subshells. Since the shell is incompletely filled and there is very little energy difference between the subshells, the electrons can jump from one subshell to another. Thus they can display multiple oxidation states. Due to their vacant orbitals, they form coordination bonds and often produce colored complexes.
The ‘D’ block metals are:
| Metal Name | Atomic number | Properties |
|---|---|---|
| Scandium | 21 | |
| Titanium | 22 | used to make airframes as it is light and can withstand extreme temperatures. |
| Vanadium | 23 | |
| Chromium | 24 | used in electroplating |
| Manganese | 25 | used to make dry-cell batteries |
| Iron | 26 | It is present in the Red blood cells and is used to make many items of daily use. |
| Cobalt | 27 | |
| Nickel | 28 | |
| Copper | 29 | make alloys |
| Zinc | 30 | For galvanizing iron |
| Yttrium | 39 | |
| Zirconium | 40 | |
| Niobium | 41 | |
| Molybdenum | 42 | |
| Technetium | 43 | |
| Ruthenium | 44 | |
| Rhodium | 45 | |
| Palladium | 46 | |
| Silver | 47 | Finest conductor of electricity. |
| Cadmium | 48 |
List of ‘F’ block metals
| Metal Name | Atomic Number | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Lanthanum | 57 | lanthanides start from this element |
| Hafnium | 72 | |
| Tantalum | 73 | |
| Tungsten | 74 | |
| Rhenium | 75 | |
| Osmium | 76 | |
| Iridium | 77 | |
| Platinum | 78 | most inert metal |
| Gold | 79 | |
| Mercury | 80 | |
| Actinium | 89 | Actinides start from this element |
| Rutherfordium | 104 | |
| Dubnium | 105 | |
| Seaborgium | 106 | |
| Bohrium | 107 | |
| Hassium | 108 | |
| Meitnerium | 109 | |
| Darmstadtium | 110 | |
| Roentgenium | 111 | |
| Copernicium | 112 |
The lanthanides and actinides are kept separately at the bottom of the periodic table in the first block so as not to disturb the structure of the table.
They display more complex chemical and physical characteristics as they have energetically similar orbitals, so the electrons jump easily within orbitals.
The orbitals are also far away from the nucleus, so electrons are less attracted and this influences their reactivity.
The lanthanides (atomic number 58 to 71) are
| Metal Name | Atomic number | Any comment |
|---|---|---|
| Cerium | 58 | |
| Praseodymium | 59 | |
| Neodymium | 60 | |
| Promethium | 61 | |
| Samarium | 62 | |
| Europium | 63 | |
| Gadolinium | 64 | |
| Terbium | 65 | |
| Dysprosium | 66 | |
| Holmium | 67 | |
| Erbium | 68 | |
| Thulium | 69 | |
| Ytterbium | 70 | |
| Lutetium | 71 |
The actinides (atomic number 90 to 103) are
| Metal name | Atomic number | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Thorium | 90 | Naturally occurring, radioactive metal |
| Protactinium | 91 | |
| Uranium | 92 | |
| Neptunium | 93 | |
| Plutonium | 94 | |
| Americium | 95 | |
| Curium | 96 | |
| Berkelium | 97 | |
| Californium | 98 | |
| Einsteinium | 99 | |
| Fermium | 100 | |
| Mendelevium | 101 | |
| Nobelium | 102 | |
| Lawrencium | 103 |