Question

A non-malleable and non-ductile metal is ___________ at room temperature.
(A) Iron
(B) Silver
(C) Gold
(D) Zinc

Answer 1

Hint: Any class of substances characterized by high electrical and thermal conductivity as well as malleability, ductility, and high reflectivity of light is known as a metal.
Recall the physical properties nonmetals.

Complete step by step solution:
-Chemical elements found on earth are broadly divided into three categories, those are metals, metalloids, and nonmetals.
-A type of chemical element which has the properties between or that of the mixture of metals and non-metals is known as Metalloids.
-A chemical element that tends to have a relatively low melting point, boiling point, density, poor thermal conductivity, poor electrical conductivity is known as Non-metals.
-Metals are found abundantly in nature. Approximately three-quarters of all the known chemical elements known on earth belong to the category metals. The most abundant metals out of them are aluminium, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium.
-Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and found rarely in its metallic state. It is a silver-grey metal and possesses physical properties as malleable, ductile, lustre, good conductor of heat and electricity, tensile and ferromagnetic metal.
-Silver is a soft, lustrous, white, ductile, malleable metal that is best known for its highest thermal and electrical conductivity. It is a dense metal and can dissolve.
-Gold is a soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element that is best known for its malleability and ductile property. It is a good conductor of electricity.
-Zinc is a bluish-white metal that is lustrous and brittle. It exhibits good malleability and ductility but only at high temperatures, not at room temperature.

So, the correct answer is option D.

Note: We have seen the physical properties of metals, let us now see the chemical properties of the mentioned metals-
-The chemical properties of iron include reactivity with water, oxidation, and solubility. Iron is a non-toxic metal. It reacts with very hot water and steam to produce hydrogen gas. It readily combines with oxygen in moist air which produces iron oxide also known as rust. Iron dissolves in acids.
-Silver does not react with oxygen, nitrogen, or hydrogen at normal temperatures. A thin film on the surface of silver is formed as a result of oxygen absorption that increases with temperature and pressures. Silver complexes are mostly soluble in water.
-Gold is chemically inactive but is extremely resistant to chemical action. It readily reduces from compounds to metals. Aqua regia, which is a mixture of nitric acid, and hydrochloric acids can dissolve gold. It does not react with non-metals accept halogen with which it forms halides.
-Zinc burns in a bright-green flame releasing zinc oxide fumes. It also reacts readily with acids, alkalis, and other non-metals. The pure zinc metals react very slowly at room temperature with acids. The surface of pure metal tarnishes quickly by forming a protective passivating layer of the basic zinc carbonate, and strong acids like hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid can remove this passivating layer, subsequently releasing hydrogen gas.