Write the difference between metals and non-metals based on their physical properties.
Difference Between Metals And Non-Metals
Metals are malleable and ductile.
Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity.
Metals are lustrous and can be polished easily again after use.
Metals are always solid at room temperature and are very strong, except for microwave, which is liquid at room temperature.
Metal forms oxides that are basic.
Metals can displace hydrogen from water and diluted acid.
Metals do not combine with hydrogen; only a few metals have the capability to react with it to form ionic metal hydrides.
Non – Metals
Nonmetals are not strong and can be easily breakable. They are not ductile or malleable.
Nonmetals are bad conductors of heat and electricity, except for graphite, which is a good conductor of electricity.
Nonmetals are not lustrous, and they cannot be polished except for iodine.
Nonmetals can be solid, gas, or liquid at room temperature.
Nonmetals form acidic oxide or neutral oxides.
Non-metals do not react with water in any form or with acid.
Nonmetals react with hydrogen to make covalent and stable bonds.
– Written By Aruja
The difference between metals and nonmetals are stated below:
1. Metals are malleable and ductile, while non-metals are breakable.
2. Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity, while non-metals are bad conductors of heat and electricity.
3. Metals are lustrous, while non-metals are not lustrous.
4. Metals are always solid at room temperature. While Non-metals can be solid-gas or liquid at room temperature.
5. Metal forms oxides that are basic in nature. While Non-metals can be solid-gas or liquid at room temperature.
6. Metals can displace hydrogen from water and diluted acid. Non-metals do not react with water in any form or with acid.
7. Metals do not combine with hydrogen; only a few metals can react to form ionic metal hydrides. Whereas Non-metals react with hydrogen to make covalent and stable bonds.
– Written By Aashutosh
Metals are solid, lustrous elements with high densities. These are mostly solid, however, mercury metal is liquid at room temperature.
These are opaque and have high melting and boiling points.
These are good conductors of electricity and heat
These belong to the group 1, group 2, lanthanide and actinide series of the periodic tables.
These have a limited number of valence electrons (1 – 3) in their outermost shell and thus, losing electrons is much easier for them than gaining electrons. Thus these act as reducing agents and themselves get oxidized. These lose their valence electrons and become positively charged ions, also known as cations.
On the other hand, non-metals lack any metallic properties. These mostly occur as solids or in gaseous states, with bromine as an exception as it is present in liquid form at room temperature.
These are soft and lustrous, not as hard as metals. These are good insulators of both heat and electricity.
These contain more than 4 valence electrons in their outermost shell, and hence, gaining electrons is much easier for them than gaining electrons. These gain electrons and thus act as oxidising agents as they get reduced and form anions. Melting and boiling points of nonmetals are comparatively lower than that of metals (however, carbon is an exception to this as it has a relatively high melting point).
Metals form basic oxides (example – NaOH, KOH) whereas non metals form acidic oxides (example – Sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide etc.). The formation of oxide takes place when a metal or a non metal undergoes a reaction with oxygen.
Metals, on reaction with acids, liberate hydrogen gas whereas no such reaction takes place between non metals and acids.
These were a few points differentiating between metals and nonmetals. I hope this answer helps.
– Written By Manpreet
