What are they?
Metals are common in our homes and modern lives. Without metals we could not drive cars or cook food. Humans developed into the species we are today because we used metals for weapons and tools.
They are found naturally in rocks called ore and are usually dug up and extracted by processes like smelting and electrolysis. They are non-renewable, meaning that once we have dug all of them up there won’t be any more on Earth. Some rare metals like antimony or indium, which are vital for batteries and smartphones will run out in the next ten years if we continue using them at the same rate.
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Where they come from…
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Timeline of the Discovery of Metals
6000 BC
Gold used for jewellery
Gold was the first metal to be used by humans. It melts easily at a low temperature and is found as pure gold stones or nuggets.
Copper
The first tools, ornaments and weapons were forged from copper. This metal is also easily melted and forged at fairly low temperatures.
4200 BC
4000 BC
Silver
Silver was used to make jewellery almost as long ago as gold.
Lead
It is believed lead was first smelted 9000 years ago. The oldest artifact was found in Ancient Egypt and dated to 3800BC.
3500 BC
2300 BC
Bronze Age
Bronze is a hard metal mixture or alloy made of copper and tin.
Tin
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1750 BC
1500 BC
Iron Age
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Mercury
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750 BC
1250
Arsenic
Milestone Content goes here
Antimony
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1450
1557
Platinum
Milestone Content goes here
Cobalt
Milestone Content goes here
1735
1751
Nickel
The second most abundant metal on earth was only purified during the 18th Century. Nowadays we use it in many items like coins and batteries.
Uranium isolated
Although uranium oxide was used to colour glass and ceramics from the 1st Century AD it was only isolated as a metal in the 18th Century. It is now used almost exclusively for nuclear power and weapons.
1789
