Semimetals and metalloids are a class of elements that share some properties with both metals and nonmetals but fall somewhere in between the two extremes.
Most metalloids, for instance, have a metallic sheen but are actually brittle and poor electrical conductors with nonmetallic chemical characteristics, despite their appearance.
Contrarily, metalloids can produce amphoteric oxides and exhibit semiconductor behaviour.
Chemical elements that form simple substances with properties between those of a conventional metal and a typical nonmetal are referred to as “metaloids,” a vague term used to describe elements in the chemical realm.
Commonly, this name refers to the six to nine elements (typically boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and perhaps bismuth, polonium, and astatine) clustered together in the middle of the P-block or main block of the periodic table.
An element’s status as a metalloid cannot be determined unequivocally by a single attribute.
Gray silicon (which, unlike white silicon, is a semiconductor rather than a metal) and the graphite form of carbon may be added to the class because most metalloids tend to exhibit semiconducting qualities in at least one of its allomorphic forms (which, unlike the diamond form, is a semimetal rather than an insulator).
In chemistry, metalloids are elements with intermediate electronegativity that can take on multiple oxidation states, both positive and negative.
Location On The Periodic Table
In the periodic table, metaloids, also called semimetals, are located in the middle, between the metals and the nonmetals.
Sometimes it’s a matter of opinion whether or not an element is a metalloid because of its ambiguous properties.
Researchers and writers have classified metalloids into a wide variety of groups. It is impossible to sort the components into discrete piles.
List of Elements That Are Metalloids
Commonly accepted definitions of metalloids include:
- BoronsSilicon
- Germanium
- ArsenicsAntimonysTellurium
- The Elements of Polonium (usually recognized, sometimes considered a metal)
- The Mineral Astatine (sometimes recognized, otherwise seen as a halogen)
Tennesseeine, element 117, is thought to be a metalloid but has not been synthesised enough to confirm this.
Next-door neighbours on the periodic table may share properties with metalloids, according to some researchers. Carbon is an example of a substance that, depending on the allotrope, can be classified as either a nonmetal or a metalloid.
When examined under a microscope, diamond appears and performs like a nonmetal, while the graphite allotrope of carbon has a metallic sheen and acts as an electrical semiconductor, making it a metalloid.
Other elements with both nonmetallic and metalloid allotropes include phosphorus and oxygen. For purposes of environmental chemistry, selenium is classified as a metalloid.
Hydrogen, nitrogen, sulphur, tin, bismuth, zinc, gallium, iodine, lead, and radon are among other elements that, under the right circumstances, may exhibit metalloid-like properties.
Properties of the Semimetals or Metalloids
Metalloids have properties of both metals and nonmetals due to their intermediate electronegativities and ionisation energies. For instance, despite its lustrous appearance, silicon is a weak conductor and brittle substance.
The reactivity of metalloids changes depending on the element used as a reactant. In its reactions with sodium, boron acts like a nonmetal, but with fluorine, it acts like a metal.
Melting points, boiling points, and densities of metalloids span a wide spectrum of variation. Because of their moderate conductivity, metaloids are frequently employed in the semiconductor industry.
Commonalities Between Metalloids
Here is a list of the properties common among metalloids:
- Electronegativity values that fall between those of metals and nonmetals
- Between the ionisation energies of metals and those of nonmetals
- Some nonmetals share properties with metals, but they are not fully metallic.
- Reactivity that is contingent on the characteristics of the reactants
- On many occasions, high-quality semiconductors
- metallic in appearance, yet they may exist in allotropes that give off a nonmetallic appearance.
- in most cases, they act like nonmetals when subjected to a chemical reaction.
- having the ability to combine with other metals to form alloys
- usually fragile
- In typical situations, solids
- Insights Into Metalloids
Here are a few tidbits of information concerning several metalloids: Silicon, the second most prevalent element, is the most abundant metalloid in the Earth’s crust (oxygen is the most abundant).
- Tellurium is the most rare of the metalloid elements found in nature.
- Electronics benefit greatly from the use of metalloids. The chips in our smartphones and laptops, for example, are made from silicon.
- Metalloids such as arsenic and polonium are extremely poisonous.
- Both antimony and tellurium are used to improve the characteristics of metal alloys.
Everyday Uses of Metalloids
Fluoride in toothpaste and sodium and chlorine in table salt are just two examples of the many elements we come into contact with on a daily basis, although some are more ubiquitous than others.
Today, we’ll examine the semimetals, a class of elements that you probably won’t (or shouldn’t) come into contact with in your regular life. To that end, what exactly are metalloids, and how may one employ them in everyday life?
Metalloid Properties
What are metalloids, also called semimetals, if not elements that fall between metals and nonmetals on the periodic table?
They defy categorisation because they exhibit features that may be associated with either the metals or the nonmetals, making them difficult to describe. Consequently, it is not possible to say with certainty to which category these elements belong. It’s a matter of opinion for the majority of scientists.
Sure enough, you’ve got it just where it belongs. It’s a question that even scientists have problems answering: “what are metalloids?”
The ‘official’ semimetals are the following elements:
- SiliconsAntimonysBoron
- TelluriumsGermanium
- PoloniumsArsenic
Second only to oxygen, silicon is the most common element in the Earth’s crust. Only oxygen is more prevalent.
A further peculiarity of the semimetals is that they do not lie on a vertical or horizontal line on the periodic table; rather, their group line is a diagonal.
Location Of Metalloids On The Periodic Table
Over 70 metals and metalloids are interspersed among the nonmetals on the periodic table. Intermediate qualities between those of nonmetals and metals characterise the elements in this group.
Different classification systems include different elements in their lists of metalloids, therefore the precise elements that are metalloids are rather debatable.
While scientists believe element 117, also known as tennessine, is a metalloid, not enough of it has been studied to confirm this. Some scientists may classify as metalloids adjacent elements on the periodic table that share metalloid properties.
Carbon is an example of a material that, depending on the allotrope, is either a nonmetal or metalloid.
For instance, carbon behaves like a nonmetal when it is in diamond form, yet some people classify graphite (another allotrope of carbon) as a metalloid since it is an electrical semiconductor and has a metallic lustre.
Oxygen and phosphorus are two other examples of elements that have allotropes that can be either metalloids or nonmetallics. Selenium is commonly classified as a metalloid in environmental chemistry. Lead, gallium, bismuth, zinc, radon, iodine, sulphur, nitrogen, and hydrogen are some other elements that, under certain conditions, can be classified as metalloids.
Metalloids share properties with both nonmetals and metals because their ionisation energies and electronegativities fall in the middle of the two extremes.
Silicon, for instance, has that distinctive shiny sheen but is actually exceedingly brittle and ineffective.
Metalloids’ reactivity is affected by the element with which they react. Boron, for instance, exhibits metallic behaviour with fluorine but nonmetallic behaviour against sodium.
Metalloids have vastly varying densities, boiling points, and melting points. As a rule, metalloids perform well as semiconductors due to their intermediate conductivity.
Chemical and Physical Traits
The semimetals family of elements includes several rather peculiar elements. Their appearance is that of brittle metals, yet their chemical behaviour is wholly non-metallic. However, they may and often do form alloys with neighbouring metals, which improves the neighbouring metals’ strength and gives them metallic qualities.
The substances with which they interact determine whether or not certain elements exhibit metallic characteristics.
For instance, boron behaves like a nonmetal when it comes into contact with the flammable element sodium, but like a metal when it comes into contact with fluorine.
Conductivity is a highly sought-after quality, and here is where metalloids shine.
Semiconductivity refers to the property of conducting electricity only under particular conditions.
Where could you possibly encounter these components while going about your regular routine? You’d be surprised at how frequent the majority of them actually are. So, what are some common applications of metalloids?
Silicon
It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that silicon is one of the earth’s most important components. Named after the Latin word for flint, silex, it is the second most prevalent element in the Earth’s crust.
When crystallised, it takes on the same grey, metallic appearance as the stone it was named after. Silicon is used in every electrical device, including the one you’re using right now to read this.
Uses for Silicon
- Silicon is a semiconductor, making it perfect for use in computer chips and other electronic devices. Its conductivity and usefulness are enhanced when combined with other elements including boron, gallium, and phosphorus.
- Silicon, when combined with oxygen, polymerizes to make rubber. Silicones can be found in many different types of rubber products, but they are most commonly associated with watertight sealants used in and around the bathroom.
- In the case of automobile engines, aluminium and silicon alloys are frequently used to create components like the engine block and cylinder head.
Boron
In the early 1800s, scientists isolated boron as a new element by reacting boric acid with potassium. The name of the element is a portmanteau of the Arabic word buraq and the Persian word burah. In both languages, borax has its own word.
Uses for Boron
- One of the most spectacular applications of metalloids is in fireworks. Boron is commonly used in fireworks and pyrotechnics because to its brilliant green flame. Blending borax or boric acid with methanol and burning the resulting mixture produces a green flame.
- Boron, in the form of borax or boric acid, is a common household cleaning product. This widely used cleaner is safe for human use and can also be used as a pesticide.
- When it comes to glass bakeware, one of the most well-known options is Pyrex. Boron can also be found in another form, which you might find in your kitchen if you look closely enough. Pyrex used to make its products out of borosilicate glass, which is resistant to thermal shock and can withstand high temperatures. Boron and silicon are combined to make borosilicate glass.
Arsenic
You don’t want to come into contact with arsenic. This substance is extremely poisonous and has gained notoriety as a poison used in high-profile historical assassinations.
Despite its deadly nature, this element has several practical applications.
Uses for Arsenic
- Arsenic, used to preserve wood, is hazardous to animals as well as humans. It can also be used to treat wood to prevent insect damage, as it is an efficient insecticide. To avoid the dangers of using arsenic, several timber companies have switched to copper treatment in recent years.
- Arsenic’s semiconducting qualities emerge when it is alloyed with gallium. Arsenic semiconductors are occasionally used in LEDs.
- Silencing genes: despite its toxicity, a negligible quantity of arsenic is required for good health. This is due to the fact that arsenic participates in gene silencing, the physiological process by which your body blocks the expression of a specific gene.
Antimony and Germanium
The use of antimony can be traced back to ancient Egypt, though it wasn’t formally classified as such until 1707. Its name combines the prefix “anti” with the preposition “monos” from the Greek language.
Because it is so uncommon to find it on its own in the wild, the two terms together have the meaning “not alone.” However, germanium wasn’t discovered and separated until 1886. Because of their similarities in function, they are frequently misclassified.
Antimony and Germanium in Everyday Life
- Antimony and germanium both have several uses as semiconductors. Because of their low conductivity, they are frequently mixed with other substances.
- For centuries before it was categorised and named by scientists, antimony (in the form of its base element stibnite) was employed by ancient Egyptians as eye cosmetics.
- Ancient Egyptians were ahead of their time when it came to using colour and decoration. Different stains and paints for ceramics and glassware are still made with antimony as a colouring agent.
Tellurium and Polonium
While working to separate antimony from gold, miners discovered tellurium. Tellurium occurs naturally on rare occasions when isolated, however it is more commonly found in ores such as sylvanite and calaverite.
After discovering the element, eminent chemist Marie Curie dubbed it “Polonium” in honour of her native Poland.
You should try to avoid coming into contact with this element at all costs due to its extreme radioactivity. It’s also quite uncommon, ranking among the rarest of its kind.
Uses for Tellurium and Polonium
- When alloyed with steel, tellurium makes the metal easier to work with in a variety of machining and shaping processes.
- There is a significant amount of tellurium in blasting caps.
- The sole real use for polonium is in space exploration, specifically lunar rovers. Many lunar rovers have relied on it as their primary power source.
Although some of these components are more frequent than others, they all have their applications.
Remember to give thanks to Jons Jacob Berzelius, who discovered silicon in 1824, the next time you turn on your cell phone or turn on your computer. Without him, the Information Age would not exist.
Conclusion
Some elements, known as semimetals and metalloids, possess characteristics of both metals and nonmetals but are not strictly classified as either. Metaloids are a class of elements that can take on both positive and negative oxidation states due to their intermediate electronegativity. Between the metals and the nonmetals, they occupy the centre of the periodic table. Amphoteric oxides can be created by metallicoids, and these materials can act like semiconductors. Metalloids are typically understood to include boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and possibly bismuth.
Element 117, tennessine, is speculated to be a metalloid but has not yet undergone sufficient synthesis to confirm this. Due to their intermediate electronegativities and ionisation energies, metallicoids exhibit characteristics of both metals and nonmetals. For their middle-of-the-road conductivity and reactivity, they find widespread application in semiconductor production. The Earth’s crust contains a wide variety of metalloids, with silicon being the most common and tellurium being the rarest. Metalloids are metals that can alloy with other metals, but they are typically brittle and toxic on their own.
Metallicoids, also known as semimetals, are a class of elements in the periodic table that lie in between metals and nonmetals. They cannot be easily classified because they share characteristics with both metals and nonmetals, making it hard to determine which group they actually belong to. Elements such as silicon, antimony, tellurium, Germanium, polonium, arsenic, lead, gallium, bismuth, zinc, radon, iodine, sulphur, nitrogen, and hydrogen are considered “official” semimetals. Their group line is not a straight one, either horizontal or vertical, but rather a diagonal. Due to their intermediate conductivity, metaloids are ideal for semiconductors despite their variable densities, boiling points, and melting points.
Silicon’s semiconducting properties make it an excellent choice for use in integrated circuits and other electronic components. Named after a combination of the Arabic word buraq and the Persian word burah, boron is a newly discovered element that is produced when boric acid is reacted with potassium. The engine block and cylinder head, for example, are both made from an aluminium and silicon alloy. Fireworks, household cleaning, glass bakeware, and semiconductors are just some of the many everyday uses for metalloids. Since boron produces a green flame, it is frequently used in fireworks and pyrotechnics, while arsenic is employed in wood preservation and the treatment of insect damage.
Since antimony and germanium serve similar purposes, they are frequently misclassified as being the same element. Uses for semiconductors like antimony and germanium include eye makeup and ceramic and glass paints and stains. Ores like sylvanite and calaverite contain the rare elements tellurium and polonium. Adding tellurium to steel makes it more malleable during machining and shaping, while polonium is put to use in space missions. Invention of the Information Age is often attributed to Jons Jacob Berzelius, who found silicon in 1824.
Content Summary
- In the periodic table, metaloids, also called semimetals, are located in the middle, between the metals and the nonmetals.
- Other elements with both nonmetallic and metalloid allotropes include phosphorus and oxygen.
- What are metalloids, also called semimetals, if not elements that fall between metals and nonmetals on the periodic table?
- They defy categorisation because they exhibit features that may be associated with either the metals or the nonmetals, making them difficult to describe.
- Consequently, it is not possible to say with certainty to which category these elements belong.
- A further peculiarity of the semimetals is that they do not lie on a vertical or horizontal line on the periodic table; rather, their group line is a diagonal.
- Some scientists may classify as metalloids adjacent elements on the periodic table that share metalloid properties.
- As a rule, metalloids perform well as semiconductors due to their intermediate conductivity.
- So, what are some common applications of metalloids?SiliconIt’s hardly an exaggeration to say that silicon is one of the earth’s most important components.
- One of the most spectacular applications of metalloids is in fireworks.
- Boron is commonly used in fireworks and pyrotechnics because to its brilliant green flame.
- Antimony and germanium both have several uses as semiconductors.
- Different stains and paints for ceramics and glassware are still made with antimony as a colouring agent.
- While working to separate antimony from gold, miners discovered tellurium.
- Tellurium occurs naturally on rare occasions when isolated, however it is more commonly found in ores such as sylvanite and calaverite.
- You should try to avoid coming into contact with this element at all costs due to its extreme radioactivity.
- It’s also quite uncommon, ranking among the rarest of its kind.
- When alloyed with steel, tellurium makes the metal easier to work with in a variety of machining and shaping processes.
- There is a significant amount of tellurium in blasting caps.
- The sole real use for polonium is in space exploration, specifically lunar rovers.
- Many lunar rovers have relied on it as their primary power source.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is difference between semimetals and metalloids?
Semimetals do not have a band gap. In general, metalloids have the physical properties of metals, but their chemical properties are closer to those of nonmetals: Semimetals tend to make excellent semiconductors, although most of the elements themselves are not technically semiconducting.
What makes an element a metalloid or semi metals?
Between the metals and nonmetals is a group of elements known as either the semimetals or the metalloids, which are elements that have properties intermediate between those of the metals and nonmetals.
Can semi metals conduct electricity?
They fall between metals and nonmetals in their ability to conduct heat, and if they can conduct electricity, they usually can do so only at higher temperatures. Metalloids that can conduct electricity at higher temperatures are called semiconductors.
Are metalloids good conductors?
Malleability: Metalloids can be malleable and ductile, like metals. They also can be brittle, similar to nonmetals. Conductivity: Metalloids have intermediate heat and electrical conductivity. They do not conduct as effectively as metals, but they are not insulators like the nonmetals.
Are metalloids hard or soft?
Metalloids are metallic looking brittle solids; tend to share electrons when they react with other substances; have weakly acidic or amphoteric oxides; and are usually found naturally in combined states.
