Review of Metallic Structure
Phase Diagrams—Understanding the Basics Copyright © 2012 ASM International® F.C. Campbell, editor All rights reserved www.asminternational.org APPENDIX A Review of Metallic Structure THE WORD METAL, derived from the Greek metallon, is believed to have originated as a verb meaning to seek, search after, or inquire about. Today, a metal is defined as any element that tends to lose electrons from the outer shells of its atoms. The resulting positive ions are held together in crystalline structure by the cloud of these free electrons in what is known as the metallic bond. The metallic bond yields three physical characteris- tics typical of solid metals: (1) metals are good conductors of electricity, (2) metals are good conductors of heat, and (3) metals have a lustrous appearance. In addition, most metals are malleable, ductile, and generally denser than other elemental substances. Those elements that do not display the characteristics of the metallic elements are called nonmetals. However, there are some elements that behave as metals under some circumstances and as nonmetals under different circumstances. These are now called semimetals, but have also been called metalloids, meaning like metals. The boundaries separating the regions in the periodic table covered by the different classes of elements are not distinct, except that nonmetals never form positive ions. A simplified periodic table is shown in Fig. A.1, high- lighting the elements that are currently considered to be metals. A.1 Periodic Table In the periodic table, it is the number of electrons in the outer shell that affects the properties of the elements the most.
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