Difference between revisions of "Nonmetal" - New World Encyclopedia
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+ | * [http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementgroups/a/nonmetals.htm Nonmetals.] About.com:Chemistry. Retrieved July 24, 2008. | ||
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+ | * [http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0030553.html Non-metal.] Encyclopaedia. Retrieved July 24, 2008. | ||
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Revision as of 01:07, 24 July 2008
Nonmetal is a term used in chemistry when classifying the chemical elements. On the basis of their general physical and chemical properties, the element of the periodic table can be classified as metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.
Only 18 elements of the periodic table are generally considered nonmetals, whereas more than 80 elements are considered metals. Nonmetals, however, make up most of the crust, atmosphere, and oceans of the Earth. In addition, bulk tissues of living organisms are composed almost entirely of nonmetals.
List of nonmetals
The elements generally regarded as nonmetals are:
- hydrogen (H)
- In Group 14: carbon (C)
- In Group 15 (the pnictogens): nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P)
- Several elements in Group 16, the chalcogens: oxygen (O), sulfur (S), selenium (Se)
- All elements in Group 17 - the halogens
- All elements in Group 18 - the noble gases
General properties
There is no rigorous definition for the term "nonmetal" - it covers a general spectrum of behavior. Common properties considered characteristic of a nonmetal include:
- poor conductors of heat and electricity when compared to metals
- they form acidic oxides (whereas metals generally form basic oxides)
- in solid form, they are dull and brittle, rather than metals which are lustrous, ductile or malleable
- usually have lower densities than metals
- they have significantly lower melting points and boiling points than metals
- nonmetals have high electronegativity
Most nonmetals form monatomic or diatomic molecules in their elemental state, whereas metals in their elemental state do not form molecules at all.
Metallization at extremely high pressures
At extremely high pressures, the nonmetals tend to become metallic in nature.
See also
- Argon
- Astatine
- Bromine
- Carbon
- Chlorine
- Fluorine
- Helium
- Hydrogen
- Iodine
- Krypton
- Metal
- Metalloid
- Neon
- Nitrogen
- Oxygen
- Phosphorus
- Radon
- Selenium
- Sulfur
- Xenon
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Brown Jr., Theodore L., H. Eugene LeMay, Bruce Edward Bursten, and Julia R. Burdge. 2002. Chemistry: The Central Science. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0130669970.
- Chang, Raymond. 2006. Chemistry. 9th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math. ISBN 0073221031.
- Cotton, F. Albert, and Geoffrey Wilkinson. 1980. Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. 4th ed. New York, NY: Wiley. ISBN 0-471-02775-8.
- Greenwood, N.N., and A. Earnshaw. 1997. Chemistry of the Elements. 2nd ed. Oxford, U.K.; Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier Science. ISBN 0750633654. Online version available here. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
External links
- Periodic Table: Non-Metals. ChemicalElements.com. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
- Nonmetals. About.com:Chemistry. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
- Non-metal. Encyclopaedia. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
Standard table | Vertical table | Table with names | Names and atomic masses (large) | Names and atomic masses (small) | Names and atomic masses (text only) | Inline F-block | Elements to 218 | Electron configurations | Metals and non metals | Table by blocks | List of elements by name |
Groups: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 |
Periods: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 |
Series: Alkalis - Alkaline earths - Lanthanides - Actinides - Transition metals - Poor metals - Metalloids - Nonmetals - Halogens - Noble gases |
Blocks: s-block - p-block - d-block - f-block - g-block |
Periodic table | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H | He | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cs | Ba | La | Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn | ||||||||||
Fr | Ra | Ac | Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Uub | Uut | Uuq | Uup | Uuh | Uus | Uuo | ||||||||||
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