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Metal Oxides: Reactions and Properties

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12 views1 page

Metal Oxides: Reactions and Properties

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AnandStalin
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Almost all metals combine with oxygen to form metal oxides.

Metal + Oxygen → Metal oxide For


example, when copper is heated in air, it combines with oxygen to form copper(II) oxide, a black
oxide. 2Cu + O2 → 2CuO (Copper) (Copper(II) oxide) Similarly, aluminium forms aluminium
oxide. 4Al + 3O2 → 2Al2 O3 (Aluminium) (Aluminium oxide) Recall from Chapter 2, how copper oxide
reacts with hydrochloric acid. We have learnt that metal oxides are basic in nature. But some metal
oxides, such as aluminium oxide, zinc oxide show both acidic as well as basic behaviour. Such metal
oxides which react with both acids as well as bases to produce salts and water are known as
amphoteric oxides. Aluminium oxide reacts in the following manner with acids and bases Al2 O3 +
6HCl → 2AlCl3 + 3H2 O Al2 O3 + 2NaOH → 2NaAlO2 + H2 O (Sodium aluminate) Most metal oxides
are insoluble in water but some of these dissolve in water to form alkalis. Sodium oxide and
potassium oxide dissolve in water to produce alkalis as follows Na2 O(s) + H2 O(l) → 2NaOH(aq) K2
O(s) + H2 O(l) → 2KOH(aq)

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