Classes of metals Classes of metals Class A metals are metals that form hard acids. Hard acids are acids with relatively ionic bonds. These metals, such as iron, aluminium, titanium, sodium, calcium and the lanthanides, would rather bond with fluorine than iodine. They form stable products with hard bases, which are bases with ionic bonds. They target molecules such as phospholipids, nucleic acids and ATP. Class B metals are metals that form soft acids. Soft acids are acids with relatively covalent bonds. These metals, such as lead, gold, palladium, platinum, mercury and rhodium, would rather bond with iodine than fluorine. They form stable
Minor metals Indium (In), Lithium (Li), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Mercury (Hg), Molybdenum (Mo), Neodymium (Nd), Niobium (Nb), Iridium (Ir), Osmium (Os), Praseodymium (Pr), Rhenium (Re), Rhodium (Rh), Ruthenium (Ru), Samarium (Sm), Selenium (Se), Silicon (Si), Tantalum (Ta), Tellurium (Te), Titanium (Ti), Tungsten (W), Vanadium (V), Zirconium (Zr) Minor metals Minor metals is a widely used term in the metal industry that generally refers to metals which are a by-product of smelting a base metal. Minor metals do not have a real exchange, and are not traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME). Two characteristics are regularly associated with minor metals: (1)