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Metal - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

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A metal is a type of material that is usually shiny, hard, and a good conductor of heat and electricity. Metals have a regular arrangement of atoms in layers, which allows them to be malleable (they can bend or be shaped without breaking).

In GCSE Chemistry, metals are:

  • Found on the left side of the Periodic Table

  • Typically have high melting and boiling points

  • Can react with oxygen to form metal oxides (e.g. iron forming rust)

Common examples of metals include iron, copper, and aluminium, which are used in wiring, buildings, and transport due to their useful properties.

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Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

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