MYP Chemistry: Metals & Non-Metals FAQ

You need to link position on the periodic table to physical properties (conductivity, malleability, lustre), bonding type (metallic vs covalent/molecular) and reactivity trends. MYP 4-5 Chemistry expects you to explain why metals conduct and non-metals don't, using electron structure — not just list facts.

Metals are generally shiny, malleable, ductile and good conductors of heat and electricity, with high melting points. Non-metals tend to be dull, brittle when solid, and poor conductors — except graphite, which conducts due to its layered structure. These properties come directly from bonding type.

Metals conduct because their outer electrons are delocalised — free to move throughout the metallic lattice and carry charge when a voltage is applied. Non-metals usually form covalent bonds where electrons are shared and fixed between specific atoms, so there are no free charge carriers.

Check its position on the periodic table: metals sit to the left and centre, non-metals to the upper right, and metalloids (like silicon, boron, germanium) sit along the zig-zag staircase line dividing the two. Metalloids show mixed properties — for example, silicon is a semiconductor.

The reactivity series ranks metals from most to least reactive (roughly: potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, silver, gold). A more reactive metal displaces a less reactive one from its compound in solution — this is a displacement reaction.

This topic is usually assessed through Criterion A (Knowing and Understanding) short-answer questions on properties and trends, plus practical work under Criteria B and C where you investigate reactivity or conductivity experimentally. Some units link it to Criterion D through real-world context questions on alloys or extraction.

The biggest one I see marking mock papers: students describe a property ('metals conduct electricity') without explaining the electron-level cause, which loses marks at the higher achievement bands. Another is confusing melting point trends with reactivity trends — they're not the same thing.

Build a comparison table of properties first, then practise explaining each one in terms of bonding and electron structure — that's where most marks are lost. Follow with reactivity series questions and at least two displacement-reaction equations you can balance from memory.

Metallic bonding involves delocalised electrons shared across a whole lattice of metal cations, giving conductivity and malleability. Covalent bonding involves electrons shared between specific pairs of atoms, giving fixed, directional bonds — which is why most non-metal compounds are brittle or gaseous rather than malleable.

Alloys mix a metal with other elements to disrupt the regular lattice structure, making the material harder and more resistant to bending than the pure metal. Stainless steel (iron, chromium, carbon) resists corrosion better than pure iron, which is why it's used for cutlery and surgical instruments.

Not usually — it's foundational, and students who understand bonding properly here find DP Chemistry's structure and bonding topic much easier. According to the IB, first exams for the current DP Chemistry guide were in 2025, and it builds directly on the metallic and covalent bonding concepts taught at MYP 4-5.

Ask your child to explain, out loud, why a metal conducts electricity or why graphite is an exception — if they can teach it back to you clearly, they understand it. Quizzing them on the reactivity series order and asking for one worked displacement equation is a fast, useful check.