Transition Metals (Edexcel GCSE Chemistry)

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

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

The colours produced by ions of the transition elements

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