How can you describe the three main types of elements
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How can you describe the three main types of elements
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Answer:
Elements in different groups are lumped together in one of three classes, depending on their properties. The classes are metals, nonmetals, and metalloids. Knowing the class of an element lets you predict many of its properties.
Answer:
1.Metals
Metals are elements that are good conductors of electricity. They are the largest of the three classes of elements. In fact, most elements are metals. Look back at the modern periodic table (Figure above) in this chapter’s lesson "How Elements Are Organized." Find the metals in the table. They are all the elements that are color-coded blue. Examples include sodium (Na), silver (Ag), and zinc (Zn).
[Figure 1]
The three properties described here characterize most metals.
Metals have relatively high melting points, so almost all are solids at room temperature. The only exception is mercury (Hg), which is a liquid. Most metals are also good conductors of heat. That’s why they are used for cooking pots and stovetops. Metals have other characteristic properties as well. Most are shiny, ductile, and malleable. These properties are illustrated in the Figure below. You can dig deeper into the properties of metals at this.
Nonmetals
Nonmetals are elements that do not conduct electricity. They are the second largest class of elements. Find the nonmetals in the Figure above. They are all the elements on the right side of the table that are color-coded green. Examples of nonmetals include helium (He), carbon (C), and oxygen (O).
2.Nonmetals generally have properties that are the opposite of those of metals. They also tend to vary more in their properties than metals do. For example, nonmetals have relatively low boiling points, so many of them are gases at room temperature. But several nonmetals are solids, including carbon and phosphorus (P). One nonmetal, bromine (Br), is a liquid at room temperature.
Generally, nonmetals are also poor conductors of heat. In fact, they may be used for insulation. For example, the down filling in a down jacket is mostly air, which consists mainly of nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O). These nonmetal gases are poor conductors of heat, so they keep body heat in and cold air out. Solid nonmetals are dull rather than shiny. They are also brittle rather than ductile or malleable. You can see examples of solid nonmetals in the Figure below.
[Figure 2]
Unlike metals, solid nonmetals are dull and brittle.
33.Metalloids
Metalloids are elements that fall between metals and nonmetals in the periodic table. Just seven elements are metalloids, so they are the smallest class of elements. In the Figure above, they are color-coded orange. Examples of metalloids include boron (B), silicon (Si), and germanium (Ge).
Metalloids have some properties of metals and some properties of nonmetals. For example, many metalloids can conduct electricity but only at certain temperatures. These metalloids are called semiconductors. Silicon is an example. It is used in computer chips. It is also the most common metalloid on Earth. It is shiny like metal but brittle like a nonmetal. You see a sample of silicon in the Figure below. The figure also shows other examples of metalloids.
Explanation: