A semimetal or a metalloid is a chemical element. Metalloids are elements that have the propeties of both metal and non-metal elements. It might be shiny, but brittle. It might be dull, but conducts electricity.
The most common semimetal is silicon. Silicon has electrical conductivity between metals and nonmetals. It is a semiconductor.
An approximate way to classify metalloids is to look at the Periodic Table of elements. See the double diagonal line: top left Boron and Aluminium, bottom right Polonium and Astatine. Those diagonals are the metalloids. Some metalloids are not semimetals, and some semimetals are not metalloids.
| Group | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | ||
| Period | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 H |
2 He |
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| 2 | 3 Li |
4 Be |
5 B |
6 C |
7 N |
8 O |
9 F |
10 Ne |
||||||||||||
| 3 | 11 Na |
12 Mg |
13 Al |
14 Si |
15 P |
16 S |
17 Cl |
18 Ar |
||||||||||||
| 4 | 19 K |
20 Ca |
21 Sc |
22 Ti |
23 V |
24 Cr |
25 Mn |
26 Fe |
27 Co |
28 Ni |
29 Cu |
30 Zn |
31 Ga |
32 Ge |
33 As |
34 Se |
35 Br |
36 Kr |
||
| 5 | 37 Rb |
38 Sr |
39 Y |
40 Zr |
41 Nb |
42 Mo |
43 Tc |
44 Ru |
45 Rh |
46 Pd |
47 Ag |
48 Cd |
49 In |
50 Sn |
51 Sb |
52 Te |
53 I |
54 Xe |
||
| 6 | 55 Cs |
56 Ba |
* |
71 Lu |
72 Hf |
73 Ta |
74 W |
75 Re |
76 Os |
77 Ir |
78 Pt |
79 Au |
80 Hg |
81 Tl |
82 Pb |
83 Bi |
84 Po |
85 At |
86 Rn |
|
| 7 | 87 Fr |
88 Ra |
* * |
103 Lr |
104 Rf |
105 Db |
106 Sg |
107 Bh |
108 Hs |
109 Mt |
110 Ds |
111 Uuu |
112 Uub |
113 Uut |
114 Uuq |
115 Uup |
116 Uuh |
117 Uus |
118 Uuo |
|
| * Lanthanides | 57 La |
58 Ce |
59 Pr |
60 Nd |
61 Pm |
62 Sm |
63 Eu |
64 Gd |
65 Tb |
66 Dy |
67 Ho |
68 Er |
69 Tm |
70 Yb |
||||||
| ** Actinides | 89 Ac |
90 Th |
91 Pa |
92 U |
93 Np |
94 Pu |
95 Am |
96 Cm |
97 Bk |
98 Cf |
99 Es |
100 Fm |
101 Md |
102 No |
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| Metals | Metalloids | Nonmetals |
Images for kids
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Antimony, a semimetal, can be found naturally in the earth.
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Arsenic is another semimetal that is very toxic.
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Tellurium in a bottle. Tellurium sometimes is found naturally.
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Germanium in a tube. Germanium can be used to make semiconductors. Silicon is used more.
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Silicon crystal. Silicon is used to make semiconductors.
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Boron in a tube. Boron is very hard.
