metal

[mariantaylor]

what is the name given to metals which do not tarnish

[FastBarry]

Non-Ferrous ?

[jake-the-peg]

Noble metals.

I think the term was first applied to the unreactive gasses in group 18 of the periodic table eg He, Ne  before being extended to Silver and Gold etc.

[Gef]

I've never heard of the Noble metals (at least in Scotland). Could it be precious metals? Gold, platinum, palladium and rhodium (and others) are precious metals which do not tarnish.

[Kingaroo]

Jake -- silver tarnishes

[NetSquirrel]

If you ignore the part about silver, I'm pretty sure Jake is correct.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=noble%20metal

[jake-the-peg]

I don't like the term noble metals for exactly that reason. The Noble gasses are very very non reactive due to a fully occupied outer electron shell.

Infact nobody had managed to get any of them to react until 1962 when Xenon Florine compounds were created - One reason It took that long because Florine is such a dangerously reactive chemical and those pioneers of it's study had an unfortunate tendancy to meet untimely deaths.

By comparisom even gold is a bit of a chemical **** forming halides, sulfides and oxides amongst others.