Key terms & definitions

The strong electrostatic attraction between positive metal ions and delocalised electrons.

The electrostatic attraction between positive metal ions and delocalised electrons throughout a metal.

The strong electrostatic attraction between positive metal ions and delocalised electrons.

The extent to which an element shows the characteristic electron behaviour and properties of a metal.

A large, repeating arrangement of atoms or ions extending throughout a metal, held together by metallic bonding.

A giant structure of positive metal ions surrounded by delocalised electrons.

An element close to the boundary between metals and non-metals that has some properties associated with each.

A naturally occurring rock containing enough of a metal compound for extracting the metal to be worthwhile.

A rock containing enough metal or metal compound to make extracting the metal worthwhile.

A compound containing a metal chemically bonded to oxygen.

A compound of a metal and oxygen.

A thin layer of metal applied to another material's surface to improve properties such as corrosion resistance, wear resistance or electrical contact reliability.

A measure of how readily a metal reacts; more reactive metals lose electrons and form positive ions more easily.

Rock changed by heat and pressure without melting.

A change of physical form, such as Circe’s magical transformation of men into pigs.

A comparison that presents one thing as another, encouraging the reader to understand it through the qualities of that other thing.

A description that presents something as something else, transferring qualities between them without using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

A comparison that describes one thing as another without explicitly using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

An explanation of one thing through comparison with another, such as describing salvation as release from slavery.

A representation in which one thing suggests another idea; the alien threat in a film can, for example, suggest social hostility or exclusion.

An understanding of the Genesis creation accounts as symbolic narratives conveying religious truths rather than exact scientific descriptions.

One of the bones between the tarsals and toes. Collectively, these are the metatarsals.

A play’s attention to its own theatrical nature, for example through a performance within the play or references to actors and staging.

Language which draws attention to theatre or performance itself, such as Macbeth’s comparison of life to an actor’s brief appearance on a stage.

A prolonged shortage of rainfall compared with the amount normally expected in an area.

A medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes that reduces glucose release from the liver and helps the body's insulin work better.

The simplest hydrocarbon, with the formula $CH_4$; it is the main component of natural gas.

A greenhouse gas released by activities including cattle farming, rice cultivation and natural gas extraction.

A clear, ordered account of how to carry out an investigation so that someone else can follow it.

A clear, logically ordered account of how an investigation is carried out so that another person could follow it.