Metals:

The metals constitute the biggest class of elements and are situated on the left and toward the middle of the periodic table as displays in Figure.  Within Figure, the heavy line running step-wise from boron (B) to astatine (At) commonly divided the metals from the rest of the elements (elements within the actinide and lanthanide series are metals).   Metals tend to lose electrons to form positive ions rather than to gain electrons or become negative ions.

Many people are familiar along with metals' physical properties. That are commonly strong and hard, capable of being shaped mechanically (ductile and malleable), and good conductors of electricity and heat, and they have lustrous surfaces while clean. More significant for chemical categorization are the chemical properties of metals since the physical properties are not general to all metals.  For instance, mercury (Hg) is a metal, while it is a liquid at room temperature, and sodium is a metal while it is not at all hard or strong.  Metals could be included in a huge range of chemical reactions. Their reactions along with water range from violent within sodium and potassium to imperceptible within platinum and gold. Metals are separated within the following two classifications.

1. The light metals that are soft, have a low density, are extremely reactive chemically, or are unsatisfactory as structural materials.

2. The transition metals, that are hard, also have a high density that do not react readily, and are meaningful structural materials.

The metals in Category 1 are situated at the far left of the table (Groups IA and IIA). The metals in Category 2 are situated within the middle of the table (the B groups).