How many metals are there in the periodic table

The Group 8A elements already have eight electrons in their valence shells, and have little tendency to either gain or lose electrons, and do not readily form ionic or molecular compounds. Ionic compounds are held together in a regular array called a crystal lattice by the attractive forces between the oppositely charged cations and anions. These attractive forces are very strong, and most ionic compounds therefore have very high melting points. Ionic compounds are typically hard, rigid, and brittle.

Ionic compounds do not conduct electricity, because the ions are not free to move in the solid phase, but ionic compounds can conduct electricity when they are dissolved in water. When nonmetals combine with other nonmetals, they tend to share electrons in covalent bonds instead of forming ions, resulting in the formation of neutral molecules.

Keep in mind that since hydrogen is also a nonmetal, the combination of hydrogen with another nonmetal will also produce a covalent bond. Molecular compounds can be gases, liquids, or low melting point solids, and comprise a wide variety of substances. See the Molecule Gallery for examples. When metals combine with each other, the bonding is usually described as metallic bonding you could've guessed that. In this model, each metal atom donates one or more of its valence electrons to make an electron sea that surrounds all of the atoms, holding the substance together by the attraction between the metal cations and the negatively charged electrons.

Since the electrons in the electron sea can move freely, metals conduct electricity very easily, unlike molecules, where the electrons are more localized. Metal atoms can move past each other more easily than those in ionic compounds which are held in fixed positions by the attractions between cations and anions , allowing the metal to be hammered into sheets or drawn into wire.

Different metals can be combined very easily to make alloys , which can have much different physical properties from their constituent metals. Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon, which is much harder than iron itself; chromium, vanadium, nickel, and other metals are also often added to iron to make steels of various types. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc which is used in plumbing fixtures, electrical parts, and musical instruments. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, which is much harder than copper; when bronze was discovered by ancient civilizations, it marked a significant step forward from the use of less durable stone tools.

Key: metal metalloid nonmetal. However, they actually fit into the middle of the Periodic Table. There are two types of rare earth metals: lanthanides and actinides. There are 15 lanthanides listed on the Periodic Table.

All of these elements are so similar, it is very difficult to differentiate them. There are 15 actinides listed on the Periodic Table. Most of these do not occur in nature because they are so unstable but are produced in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators. Metals listed as other metals are found toward the right side of the main body of the Periodic Table.

These are sometimes called semimetals and sometimes called post-transition metals. They are typically softer than other metals and have lower melting points.

Examples of other metals include:. The types of metals on the Periodic Table can be further broken down by other properties, but these are the basic types of metals. Continue exploring the Periodic Table by checking out element examples from all the types of elements.

All rights reserved. Periodic Table of Metals. What Is a Metal? Alkali Metals The alkali metals can be found in the first column on the left side of the Periodic Table.

The six alkali metals are: lithium sodium potassium rubidium caesium francium. Alkaline Earth Metals The alkaline earth metals are found in column 2 on the left side of the Periodic Table. The six alkaline earth metals are: beryllium magnesium calcium strontium barium radium.