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The World of Metals and Non-metals

Jobs that non-metals do

You breathe a non-metal all day long. Which one?

Four non-metals, four jobs.

It is oxygen, the part of air your body uses.

The new words

  • Element — a substance no chemical change can split into simpler ones. Iron, copper, oxygen and sulfur are elements.
  • Antiseptic — a liquid that kills germs on a cut or wound.

Vital means very important. A fertiliser adds minerals that plants need to the soil. Oxygen, chlorine, iodine, nitrogen and carbon are all elements.

The rule

Non-metals do vital jobs. Chlorine cleans water. Iodine is an antiseptic for wounds. Nitrogen is in fertilisers. Oxygen is for breathing. Carbon is in all living things.

A wound needs a trusted adult or a doctor. Never put iodine or any chemical on one yourself.

Now try it. Read the job. Tap the non-metal that does it.

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This track

  1. 0 Start here
  2. 1 Shine, and the sound it makes
  3. 2 Beaten flat, or pulled into a wire
  4. 3 Carrying warmth, and carrying the loop
  5. 4 Non-metals are all around you
  6. 5 Why iron goes orange
  7. 6 The job decides which test matters
  8. 7 Checkpoint: properties, rusting and choosing
  9. 8 What burning makes: oxides
  10. 9 Why sodium sits in kerosene
  11. 10 Why gold and silver make jewellery
  12. 11 Jobs that non-metals do
  13. 12 The big picture
  14. 13 Track quiz

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