Transition Metals (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)

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Transition Metals

Properties

  • Most of the known metals are transition metals and they have typical properties of metals
  • They are very lustrous, they are hard, strong and are good conductors of heat and electricity
  • They are highly dense metals and have very high melting points
  • Transition metals can have more than one oxidation state  as they can lose a different number of electrons, depending on the chemical environment they are in
  • The melting point, density and common ions of the elements Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu are shown below

Transition Metals Table

Transition metals table, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Chemistry revision notes

  • Compounds containing transition elements in different oxidation states will have different properties and colours in aqueous solutions

Transition ion colours, IGCSE & GCSE Chemistry revision notes

The colours produced by ions of the transition elements

Exam Tip

Note that transition metals themselves do not display a range of colours, it is the compounds they form that are colourful

Applications

Catalysis

  • The transition elements are used extensively as catalysts which are substances that speed up the rate of a reaction without being used up in the process
  • They do not take part in the reaction
  • Their catalytic characteristics stem from their ability to interchange between a range of oxidation states
  • This allows them to form complexes with reagents which can easily donate and accept electrons from other chemical species within a reaction system
  • Common transition metal catalysts include:
    • Iron which is used in the Haber Process
    • Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) which is used in the Contact Process to produce sulfuric acid
    • Nickel which is used in the hydrogenation of alkenes

Medicine

  • The transition metals are also used in medicine and surgical applications such as limb and joint replacement
  • Titanium in particular is useful as it is the only element that can bond with bones due to its high biocompatibility

Other Industrial Applications
  • They are also used to form coloured compounds in dyes and paints for both household and industrial applications
  • They are used in creating stained glass, jewellery and in anti-corrosive materials

Exam Tip

You should be able to recall the typical properties of the transition elements including melting points, density, coloured compounds and catalytic activity.

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Stewart

Author: Stewart

Stewart has been an enthusiastic GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB teacher for more than 30 years in the UK as well as overseas, and has also been an examiner for IB and A Level. As a long-standing Head of Science, Stewart brings a wealth of experience to creating Topic Questions and revision materials for Save My Exams. Stewart specialises in Chemistry, but has also taught Physics and Environmental Systems and Societies.