WHAT ARE METALS, NONMETALS AND METALLOIDS? - CHEMISTRY - 2025

Metals are elements with excellent electrical and thermal conduction capacity. Non-metals are materials with very little (or no) conduction ability. In contrast, metalloids have intermediate conduction properties.

The metallic elements are generally shiny, mechanically resistant, malleable, ductile and very good conductors of electricity and heat.

For their part, the non-metallic elements are diametrically opposite. They are usually opaque, and are not good conductors of heat or electricity. Plus, they melt easily.

Metalloids, also known as semi-metals, are in a middle band between the above classifications. They are not as good conductors as metals, nor as bad conductors as non-metals.

Characteristics of metals, nonmetals and metalloids

The periodic table of elements is divided into these three large groups of elements, according to their physical and chemical properties, and depending on the interaction of each element with nature.

The most outstanding characteristics of each of these elements are described below:

Characteristics of metals

The most relevant characteristic of metallic elements is, without a doubt, their important capacity to conduct heat and electricity. The most important electrical conductors are gold, copper, and aluminum.

From a physical point of view, metals also have the ability to reflect light, so they usually have a shiny appearance.

They have a high melting point (greater than 600 ° C), so under normal environmental conditions they are usually solid. With the exception of mercury, whose state at room temperature is liquid.

Furthermore, the vast majority of metals are malleable, that is, they are capable of forming thin sheets when exposed to compressive forces.

On the other hand, metals are usually ductile. This means that they can be molded into thin wires or strands when drawn with tensile stresses.

Characteristics of non-metals

Basically what differentiates these elements from metals is the inability to conduct heat and / or electricity through them.

In addition, the melting points of nonmetals are considerably low when compared to the melting point of metals.

Therefore, nonmetals are flimsy elements that tend to break easily, which means that they are neither ductile nor malleable.

Nonmetals are present in nature in all three states of matter. Under conventional environmental conditions, it is possible to appreciate gases (hydrogen or oxygen), liquids (bromine) and solids (sulfur or phosphorus).

Nonmetals have a very diverse appearance, and are generally low-density, low-gloss elements.

Characteristics of metalloids

These elements have mixed properties of metals and non-metals. For example, they have a medium electrical and thermal conduction ability, and can also be both shiny and opaque.

Generally, metalloids are semiconductors, that is, as the temperature increases, their electrical conductivity also increases.

Due to this last characteristic, they are frequently used in the field of electronics. An example of this is silicon.

Metalloids also vary in density, melting point, colors, and shapes.

Articles of interest

Characteristics of metals and non-metals.

Characteristics of metalloids.

Physical and chemical properties of metals.

Examples of metallic bonds.

References

1. Metals, Non-metals and Metalloids (sf). Recovered from: depa.fquim.unam.mx
2. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Metal. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org
3. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Non-metal. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org
4. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (2017). Semimetal. Recovered from: es.wikipedia.org