NSCI 1322 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Aluminium Hydroxide, Aluminium Oxide, Oxide Minerals
12 Jan 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
One of the obvious characteristics of a metal is its luster, or shine. But metals have other interesting properties, such as their relatively high electrical and heat conductivities. Metals are also more or less malleable and ductile. By malleable, we mean you can pound the material into flat sheets; by ductile, we mean you can draw it into a wire. Thus we can define a metal as a material that is lustrous (shiny), has high electrical and heat conductivities, and is malleable and ductile. A metal need not be a pure element; it can be a compound or mixture. An alloy is a material with metallic properties that is either a compound or a mixture. If the alloy is a mixture, it may be homogeneous (a solution) or heterogeneous. Most commercial metals are alloys consisting of one metal with small quantities of other metals to add desirable characteristics. For example, aluminum is often alloyed with magnesium and copper for strength.
