Compare the chemical properties of metals and non-metals. grade viii
Answers
Usually have 1-3 electrons in their outer shell.Lose their valence electrons easily.
Form oxides that are basic.
Are good reducing agents.
Have lower electronegativities.
Chemical Property of Non Metals:
Usually have 4-8 electrons in their outer shell.Gain or share valence electrons easily.
Form oxides that are acidic.
Are good oxidizing agents.
Have higher electronegativities.
Metals:
In the periodic table, you can see a stair-stepped line starting at Boron (B), atomic number 5, and going all the way down to Polonium (Po), atomic number 84. Except for Germanium (Ge) and Antimony (Sb), all the elements to the left of that line can be classified as metals.
These metals have properties that you normally associate with the metals you encounter in everyday life:
They are solid (with the exception of mercury, Hg, a liquid).
They are shiny, good conductors of electricity and heat.
They are ductile (they can be drawn into thin wires).
They are malleable (they can be easily hammered into very thin sheets).
All these metals tend to lose electrons easily. The following figure shows the metals.
Nonmetals
Except for the elements that border the stair-stepped line, the elements to the right of the line are classified as nonmetals (along with hydrogen). Nonmetals have properties opposite those of the metals.
The nonmetals are brittle, not malleable or ductile, poor conductors of both heat and electricity.