What is the difference between a Metal and an Alloy?

     Did you know that the everyday metals we find around our house are technically crystals? Metals are naturally soft, malleable, and ductile in nature, and they need to crystalize in order to be used. A lot of common metals have actually been combined with others metals to make alloys, which can be harder, shiner, and more resistant to corrosion. 

What is a True Metal?

     A true metal is a pure element and natural substance. They have luster and are great conductors of energy. They are more dense than nonmetals, and they have a higher melting point. The malleability and ductility of the metals make it able to deform without cleaving. They are naturally a power, but crystallize to form the solids we know them as today. Metals can be found in any of the crystal forms we have already come to love, as well the body-centered cubic structure, the face-centered cubic structure, and the hexagonal closely packed structure. Some metals form cations which appear in the shape of oxides or oxidized layers. This layer is sometimes referred to as the patina.Lastly, It is categorized by the periodic table of elements.

Some True Metals Include:

This figure shows a complete list of all the natural occurring metals 

What is an Alloy?

     An alloy is produced when two or more natural metals combine. It can have either a fixed composition or a variable composition. Alloys were created to either enhance the existing properties of metals, or add new properties to metal that it didn’t previously have. The goal of alloys is to make metals harder, less brittle, resistant to corrosion, and prettier and lustrous in color. Alloys do not undergo chemical reactions with air or water, this is the most defining factor that can be used to tell them apart. It can be categorized as a subcategory in metal due to their chemical compositions.

Some Alloys Include: