Nonmetal facts for kids

Fluorite, a source of fluorine, in the form of an isolated crystal

Nonmetal or non-metal is a chemical element that does not have the properties of a metal. They can either be gases or elements that do not have the properties of a metals. Examples of gaseous elements are: hydrogen, helium, oxygen, nitrogen, fluorine, neon, or radon, just to name a few. An example of a solid that is a nonmetal is sulfur. It is yellow and not shiny at all. An example of a liquid that is a nonmetal is bromine. It is red. A non metal is also a good insulator for heat and cold. Usually, gases or brittle solids are non-metals. Elements on the periodic table can be classified as metal, semimetal, or non-metal.

Five times more elements are metals than nonmetals. Two of the nonmetals—hydrogen and helium—make up over 99 per cent of the observable Universe, and one—oxygen—makes up close to half of the Earth's crust, oceans and atmosphere. Living organisms are also composed almost entirely of nonmetals, and nonmetals form many more compounds than metals.

Images for kids

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  Periodic table highlighting the first row of each block. Helium (He), as a noble gas, is normally shown over neon (Ne) with the rest of the noble gases. The elements within scope of this article are inside the thick black borders. The status of oganesson (Og, element 118) is not yet known.

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  Electronegativity values of the group 16 chalcogen elements showing a W-shaped alternation or secondary periodicity going down the group

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  A small (about 2 cm long) piece of rapidly melting argon ice

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  Selenium conducts electricity around 1,000 times better when light falls on it, a property used in light-sensing applications.

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  A crystal of realgar, also known as "ruby sulphur" or "ruby of arsenic", an arsenic sulfide mineral As4S4

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  Brownish crystals of buckminsterfullerene С60, a semiconducting allotrope of carbon

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  The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus (1771) by Joseph Wright. The alchemist is Hennig Brand; the glow emanates from the combustion of phosphorus inside the flask.

See also

In Spanish: No metal para niños