SUBSTANCE

  Description

USE or PROPERTY

Iron

Grey metal

Cheap and strong but rusts easily. The only magnetic metal.

Sulphur

Yellow solid

Soft and crumbly. Burns to make a gas with a chocking smell.

Brass

Yellow metal

An ALLOY of copper and zinc. Used to make water taps. (Often covered with a shiny layer of CHROME metal)

Copper

Pink Metal

Used to make water pipes and electric wires.

Mercury

Grey metal

The only liquid metal. Very heavy and very poisonous. Used by dentists for ‘fillings’.

Aluminium

Pale grey metal

Low density (very light). Used to make saucepans and kitchen foil.

Gold

Yellow metal

Very heavy precious metal. Does not corrode. Used for jewellery and electrical contacts.

Perspex

Colourless,

transparent

Often used instead of glass as it is strong and light but scratches and melts easily.

Glass

Pale green,

transparent

Very hard (does not scratch easily) but easy to break.

Zinc

Grey metal

Plated over iron to stop it rusting (called GALVANIZED iron and is used for buckets, water tanks)

Lead

Grey metal

Soft and bendy. Melts easily. Used on roofs. Used to used in pencils.

Tin

Grey metal

Placed in a very thin layer on the inside of ‘tin’ cans to stop the iron going rusty.

Graphite

Grey /black solid

Formed from carbon. Used in pencils instead of lead (which is poisonous).