Nonmetal
Elements lacking metallic properties, diverse in form and reactivity.
Nonmetals are chemical elements that mostly lack distinctive metallic properties. They range from colorless gases such as hydrogen to lustrous crystalline solids such as iodine, and are usually less dense than metals and often poor conductors of heat and electricity. Chemically, they have moderate to very high electronegativity, and their oxides tend to be acidic. Seventeen elements are widely recognized as nonmetals, with some or all of six borderline elements (metalloids) sometimes counted as nonmetals.
- number_of_elements
- 17 widely recognized, plus up to 6 borderline elements
- most_abundant_in_universe
- Hydrogen and helium together make up about 98% of ordinary matter mass
- most_abundant_on_Earth
- Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon make up bulk of Earth's atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, and crust
- common_industrial_uses
- Electronics, combustion, lubrication, and machining
- period_of_identification
- Most identified in the 18th and 19th centuries
Lore & Background
Nonmetals show considerable physical diversity, ranging from colorless gases to lustrous solids. Their physical states, densities, mechanical properties, phase-change temperatures, thermal and electrical conductivities, and electronic structures vary widely, largely because of differences in how their atoms or molecules are arranged and bonded. Compared with metals, they are generally less dense and, when solid, are brittle or crumbly rather than malleable or ductile. About half of nonmetallic elements are gases at or near standard temperature and pressure; most of the rest are solids. Bromine is the only liquid nonmetal, usually topped by a layer of its reddish-brown fumes.
Reader's Guide
Nonmetals are significant because they include the most abundant elements in the universe and on Earth, and their compounds are widespread in industry and nature. The two lightest nonmetals, hydrogen and helium, together make up about 98% of the mass of ordinary matter in the observable universe. Five nonmetallic elements—hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon—make up the bulk of Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, and crust. Industrial uses of nonmetals as the dominant component include electronics, combustion, lubrication, and machining. Their classification emerged in the late 18th century, and about twenty properties have since been suggested as criteria for distinguishing nonmetals from metals. In contemporary research, a distinction based on electronic structure of solids is common, with carbon, arsenic, and antimony considered semimetals (a subclass of metals), while the rest are insulators, some of which like silicon and germanium can become semiconductors with dopants.
Did You Know?
- Seventeen elements are widely recognized as nonmetals, with some or all of six borderline elements (metalloids) sometimes counted as nonmetals.
- The two lightest nonmetals, hydrogen and helium, together make up about 98% of the mass of ordinary matter in the observable universe.
- Bromine is the only nonmetal that is liquid at standard temperature and pressure.
- Good electrical conductivity occurs in carbon (as graphite, along its planes), arsenic, and antimony due to metallic bonding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nonmetal?
Nonmetals are a group of seventeen widely recognized chemical elements that lack the typical metallic traits such as high conductivity and malleability. They span a broad range of physical forms, from colorless gases like hydrogen to lustrous crystalline solids like iodine.
What are Nonmetal's key properties and role in bonding?
Nonmetals are defined by moderate to very high electronegativity, meaning they strongly pull electrons toward themselves when forming chemical bonds, and their oxides tend to produce acidic compounds. They are generally poor conductors of heat and electricity and are usually less dense than metals.
How abundant is Nonmetal in the universe and on Earth?
Hydrogen and helium, both nonmetals, together account for roughly 98% of all ordinary matter's mass in the cosmos. On Earth, nonmetals such as hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon make up the bulk of the atmosphere, oceans, biosphere, and crust.
Why is Nonmetal important in industry?
Nonmetals are essential in electronics, combustion, lubrication, and machining applications. Their versatile bonding behavior and reactivity make them indispensable across these sectors.
When was Nonmetal identified and how many elements does it include?
Most of the seventeen recognized nonmetal elements were identified during the 18th and 19th centuries. In addition, some or all of six borderline metalloids are sometimes counted as nonmetals, leaving a small degree of ambiguity in the group's exact membership.
More in Chemical Bonding And Structure 1-21
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record