Science and Technology for UPSC Examinations [Chemistry] Part 11- Metals versus Non-Metals

Metals versus Non-Metals

There are 118 elements identified element so far, the latest being ununseptium in 2010. Of the 118 known elements, only the first 98 are known to occur naturally on Earth; 80 of them are stable, while the others are radioactive, decaying into lighter elements over various timescales from fractions of a second to billions of years.

On the basis of their properties, the elements are broadly classified into metals and non-metals. The metals have been placed on the left hand side and in the centre of the periodic table, whereas non-metals have been placed on the right hand side. The element hydrogen is though, placed on the left hand side of the periodic table. There are certain elements which show the properties of both metals and non-metals and these are called metalloids. The metals and non-metals in the periodic table are separated by a zig-zag line of metalloids. The metalloids are bismuth, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium and polonium.

The following table differentiates between metals and non metals with their general properties.