Question

All non metals are soft. Diamond is the hardest substance on this earth. So why is it considered a non metal?

Answer 1

Explanation:

The outermost shell of each carbon atom has four electrons. In diamond, these electrons are shared with four other carbon atoms to form very strong chemical bonds resulting in an extremely rigid tetrahedral crystal. It is this simple, tightly-bonded arrangement that makes diamond one of the hardest substances on Earth