What is Nonmetals? | Types, Definition, Structure, Function & Facts
What is Nonmetals?
Nonmetals are a group of elements in the periodic table. They are located to the right of the metalloid and to the left of the halogen. These elements are often referred to as “other nonmetals” because the halogens and noble gases are also nonmetals. Other non-metals are among the most abundant elements in the universe, including the earth’s crust, atmosphere, and the human body.
What Elements are Nonmetals?
Other commonly considered non-metallic elements include hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, oxygen, sulfur, and selenium. Nitrogen and phosphorus are included in the pnictogens subgroup. Oxygen, sulfur and selenium are included in the chalcogen subgroup.
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What are the similar properties of Nonmetals?
Nonmetals share many similar properties, including:
They are gaseous (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen) or solid (carbon, sulfur) under standard conditions.
They are not good conductors of electricity or heat.
They are very brittle in solid form.
They are neither ductile nor malleable.
They usually have a lower density than metals. They generally have lower melting and boiling points than metals. The only exception to this is carbon.
They have high ionization energies.
Order of Abundance
Other non-metals are among the most abundant elements in the universe. Hydrogen is the first most abundant element, with oxygen, carbon and nitrogen being the third, fourth and seventh most abundant elements, respectively.
Nitrogen and oxygen make up most of the Earth’s atmosphere, with nitrogen making up 78% and oxygen about 21%.
The four most common elements by mass in the human body are other non-metals including oxygen (65%), carbon (18%), hydrogen (10%) and nitrogen (3%).
The most abundant among other non-metals in the earth’s crust is oxygen, which is the most abundant element in the earth’s crust.
Interesting Facts about Nonmetals
Water is made up of two nonmetals oxygen and hydrogen.
Even counting the halogens and noble gases, only 18 elements in the periodic table are considered nonmetals.
Many nonmetals can acquire metallic properties under very high pressure.
Selenium got its name from the Greek word “selene” which means “moon”.
Carbon is the most important element for the existence of life on Earth.