Chapter 3 of 13

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Rajasthan (RBSE)Class 10 Science★ 5–7 marks · RBSE Class 10 Science board (Unit — Chemistry)

Metals and Non-metals

RBSE Class 10 Science Chapter 3 — physical and chemical properties of metals and non-metals, the reactivity series, ionic bonding, the extraction of metals (roasting, calcination, reduction, electrolysis), corrosion and its prevention, with reaction equations and board-pattern questions with full solutions.

⏱ 30 min readMedium difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Compare physical and chemical properties of metals and non-metals
2Use the reactivity series to predict reactions and displacement
3Explain ionic bonding and the properties of ionic compounds
4Describe extraction of metals by roasting, calcination, reduction and electrolysis
5Explain corrosion and methods of prevention, including alloying

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Why this chapter matters

A reaction-and-fact-rich chapter that reliably carries multiple MCQs, a reactivity/displacement question and a 3-mark extraction or corrosion question. The reactivity series here is used throughout chemistry.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

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Chemical Reactions and Equations (Class 10)

Balancing equations; oxidation and reduction.

Metals and Non-metals — RBSE Class 10 (Science)

The spoon you eat with, the wire that carries electricity, the oxygen you breathe, the sulphur in a matchstick — the material world sorts neatly into two families. Metals are the shiny, bendable, conducting team; non-metals are the dull, brittle, insulating team. This chapter is about how each behaves, why, and how we pull metals out of the rocks that hide them.

1. Physical properties

Property	Metals	Non-metals
Lustre	shiny	dull (except iodine, diamond)
State	solid (except mercury)	solid/liquid/gas (Br is liquid)
Malleable/ductile	yes	no — brittle
Conduction	good (heat & electricity)	poor (except graphite)
Sonorous	yes	no
Melting point	high (except Na, K)	low (except diamond)

Exceptions matter in the exam: mercury is a liquid metal; sodium/potassium are so soft they can be cut with a knife; graphite (a non-metal) conducts; diamond is the hardest natural substance.

2. Chemical properties of metals

With oxygen → basic (or amphoteric) oxides: $2 C u + O_{2} \to 2 C u O$ . Amphoteric oxides (Al₂O₃, ZnO) react with both acids and bases.
With water → hydroxide/oxide + hydrogen. Reactivity varies: K, Na react violently with cold water; Mg with hot water; Fe with steam; Cu, Ag not at all.
With acids → salt + hydrogen: $Z n + H_{2} S O_{4} \to Z n S O_{4} + H_{2} ↑$ . (Copper does not displace hydrogen from dilute acids.)
With other metal salts → displacement: a more reactive metal displaces a less reactive one, e.g. $F e + C u S O_{4} \to F e S O_{4} + C u$ .

The reactivity series

$K > Na > Ca > Mg > Al > Zn > Fe > Pb > (H) > Cu > Hg > Ag > Au$ The single most useful tool of the chapter — it predicts displacement, extraction method and corrosion.

3. How metals and non-metals bond — ionic compounds

Metals lose electrons (form cations); non-metals gain electrons (form anions). The electrostatic attraction is an ionic (electrovalent) bond, e.g. Na → Na⁺, Cl → Cl⁻ giving NaCl.

Properties of ionic compounds: high melting/boiling points, crystalline solids, soluble in water (usually), and they conduct electricity when molten or in solution (ions become mobile) but not when solid.

4. Occurrence and extraction (metallurgy)

Metals occur as minerals; a mineral worth mining is an ore. The extraction route depends on the metal's position in the reactivity series:

Enrichment of the ore (removing gangue).
Roasting (sulphide ore + air → oxide) or Calcination (carbonate ore heated → oxide).
- $2 Z n S + 3 O_{2} \to 2 Z n O + 2 S O_{2}$ (roasting); $Z n C O_{3} \to Z n O + C O_{2}$ (calcination).
Reduction of the oxide to metal:
- Middle metals (Zn, Fe, Pb): reduce with carbon — $Z n O + C \to Z n + C O$ .
- Highly reactive metals (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al): electrolytic reduction.
- Least reactive (Ag, Au): found free / obtained by mild heating.
Refining — mostly electrolytic refining (impure metal anode, pure metal cathode).

The thermite reaction ( $F e_{2} O_{3} + 2 A l \to 2 F e + A l_{2} O_{3}$ + heat) is a spectacular displacement used to weld rails.

5. Corrosion and its prevention

Corrosion is the slow eating-away of a metal by air and moisture — iron rusting ( $F e_{2} O_{3} \cdot x H_{2} O$ ), silver tarnishing black, copper turning green.

Prevention: painting, oiling/greasing, galvanisation (zinc coat), tin/chrome plating, and alloying. Alloys (e.g. steel, brass, bronze, solder) are made to improve strength or resistance; stainless steel (Fe + Cr + Ni) does not rust.

6. Closing thought

Anchor everything to the reactivity series — it explains reactions with water/acids, displacement, the choice of extraction method, and which metals corrode. Learn the exceptions (mercury, sodium, graphite, diamond) and the roasting-vs-calcination distinction. In the RBSE board this chapter is dense with 1- and 3-mark questions and reliably a reaction-equation or extraction question.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Reactivity series

K>Na>Ca>Mg>Al>Zn>Fe>Pb>H>Cu>Hg>Ag>Au

Predicts displacement and extraction route.

Metal + acid

metal + dilute acid → salt + H₂↑

Copper and below do not react.

Displacement

Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu

More reactive displaces less reactive.

Roasting vs calcination

2ZnS+3O₂→2ZnO+2SO₂; ZnCO₃→ZnO+CO₂

Sulphide vs carbonate ore to oxide.

Reduction with carbon

ZnO + C → Zn + CO

For middle-reactivity metals.

Thermite

Fe₂O₃ + 2Al → 2Fe + Al₂O₃ + heat

Used to weld rails.

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Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying all metals react with water

✓ Reactivity varies: K/Na (cold water), Mg (hot water), Fe (steam), Cu/Ag (no reaction).

WATCH OUT

✗ Confusing roasting and calcination

✓ Roasting heats a SULPHIDE ore in air; calcination heats a CARBONATE (or hydrated) ore, usually without excess air. Both give the oxide.

WATCH OUT

✗ Thinking ionic solids conduct electricity

✓ Ionic compounds conduct only when MOLTEN or DISSOLVED (mobile ions), not as solids.

WATCH OUT

✗ Forgetting amphoteric oxides

✓ Al₂O₃ and ZnO react with BOTH acids and bases — they are amphoteric, not purely basic.

WATCH OUT

✗ Copper displacing hydrogen from acids

✓ Copper is below hydrogen in the series, so it does NOT release H₂ from dilute acids.

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Intext questions

Properties, reactions, reactivity and extraction

Questions

Ex s

Exercises

Displacement, ionic bonding, metallurgy and corrosion

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· Property

Name the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Mercury (Hg) is liquid at room temperature.

✦ Answer: Mercury.

Q2EASY· Exception

Which non-metal conducts electricity?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Graphite, an allotrope of carbon, conducts electricity.

✦ Answer: Graphite.

Q3EASY· Reaction

Write the product when zinc reacts with dilute sulphuric acid.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Zn + H₂SO₄ → ZnSO₄ + H₂↑.

✦ Answer: zinc sulphate and hydrogen gas.

Q4MEDIUM· Displacement

Will iron displace copper from copper sulphate solution? Give the equation.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Iron is above copper in the reactivity series, so it displaces copper.

Step 2 — Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu (blue solution fades to green).

✦ Answer: Yes; Fe + CuSO₄ → FeSO₄ + Cu.

Q5MEDIUM· Ionic bonding

Explain the formation of sodium chloride by electron transfer.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Na (2,8,1) loses 1 electron → Na⁺ (2,8); Cl (2,8,7) gains it → Cl⁻ (2,8,8).

Step 2 — Opposite charges attract, forming the ionic bond in NaCl.

✦ Answer: electron transfer from Na to Cl forms Na⁺ and Cl⁻, held by ionic bonding.

Q6MEDIUM· Amphoteric

What are amphoteric oxides? Give two examples.

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Oxides that react with both acids and bases to give salt and water.

Step 2 — Examples: Al₂O₃ and ZnO.

✦ Answer: amphoteric oxides react with acids and bases; e.g. Al₂O₃, ZnO.

Q7HARD· Extraction

Describe how zinc is extracted from zinc blende (ZnS).

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Roast the sulphide ore in air: 2ZnS + 3O₂ → 2ZnO + 2SO₂.

Step 2 — Reduce the oxide with carbon: ZnO + C → Zn + CO.

Step 3 — Refine the metal by electrolytic refining.

✦ Answer: roasting → reduction with carbon → electrolytic refining.

Q8HARD· Reactivity extraction

Why is sodium extracted by electrolysis and not by reduction with carbon?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Sodium is very high in the reactivity series (strong tendency to stay as ions).

Step 2 — Carbon cannot reduce such reactive metal oxides.

Step 3 — Hence electrolytic reduction of molten NaCl is used.

✦ Answer: it is too reactive for carbon reduction, so electrolysis is required.

Q9HARD· Corrosion

What is galvanisation? How does it prevent rusting even if the coating is scratched?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — Galvanisation is coating iron with a layer of zinc.

Step 2 — Zinc is more reactive than iron, so it corrodes preferentially (sacrificial protection).

Step 3 — Even if scratched, zinc is oxidised first, protecting the iron.

✦ Answer: a sacrificial zinc coat that corrodes in place of iron.

Q10MEDIUM· Alloy

What is an alloy? Why is stainless steel preferred for cutlery?

▶ Show solution

Step 1 — An alloy is a homogeneous mixture of a metal with other metals/non-metals.

Step 2 — Stainless steel (Fe + Cr + Ni) resists rusting and is hard and shiny.

✦ Answer: an alloy is a metal mixture; stainless steel is used because it does not rust.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Metals: lustrous, malleable, ductile, good conductors, sonorous.
•Non-metals: dull, brittle, poor conductors (graphite conducts).
•Reactivity series predicts water/acid reactions, displacement and extraction.
•Ionic bond: metal loses, non-metal gains electrons; conducts when molten/aqueous.
•Roasting = sulphide + air → oxide; calcination = carbonate heated → oxide.
•Reduction: carbon for middle metals, electrolysis for reactive metals.
•Corrosion prevented by painting, oiling, galvanising, alloying.

Rajasthan (RBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 5–7 marks

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
MCQ / very short	1	2	Properties, exceptions, reactions
Short answer	2	1	Displacement, ionic bonding, amphoteric oxides
Long answer	3	1	Extraction of a metal or corrosion prevention

Prep strategy

Memorise the reactivity series and its uses
Learn the exceptions (mercury, sodium, graphite, diamond)
Practise roasting/calcination and reduction equations
Be ready to explain galvanisation and alloys

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Construction and tools

Steel and other alloys give strength for buildings, vehicles and machinery.

Electrical wiring

Copper and aluminium's conductivity powers homes and industry.

Rust protection

Galvanising and painting extend the life of bridges, cars and pipes.

Jewellery and coins

Unreactive gold and silver resist corrosion, ideal for lasting value.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Quote the reactivity series when justifying displacement or extraction.
Write balanced equations for roasting, calcination and reduction.
State exceptions explicitly (mercury, sodium, graphite, diamond).
For corrosion questions, name the method and explain how it works.
Use electron-transfer diagrams for ionic-bond questions.

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Ellingham diagrams and the thermodynamics of reduction.
Electrolytic refining and Faraday's laws.
Lattice energy and the Born–Haber cycle for ionic compounds.
Passivation and the electrochemical series vs the reactivity series.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

RBSE Class 10 Board (BSER Ajmer)High — reactions, extraction and corrosion every year

NTSE / state scholarshipMedium — chemistry MCQs

NEET / JEE FoundationMedium — metallurgy and bonding basics

Science Olympiad (NSO)Medium — properties and reactions

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Questions students ask

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Yes — RBSE (BSER, Ajmer) prescribes the NCERT Science textbook, so chapters and concepts match the national syllabus while RBSE sets its own exam pattern.

Roasting heats a sulphide ore strongly in the presence of air; calcination heats a carbonate (or hydrated) ore, usually in limited air. Both convert the ore to its oxide.

Conduction needs mobile charge carriers. In the solid the ions are locked in a lattice; melting or dissolving frees the ions so they can carry current.

The highly exothermic reaction Fe₂O₃ + 2Al → 2Fe + Al₂O₃ produces molten iron, used to weld railway tracks and machine parts.

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