The Periodic Table Of Metals And Nonmetals

The periodic table of metals and nonmetals can be broken down to give you a sense of each element’s characteristics. Metals, nonmetals, and metalloids make up the periodic table, with metals constituting the large majority of all metals.

The Periodic Table contains lot of useful information on the elements. Using it, you should be able to classify all the elements in different ways. One of the best ways to classify the elements is into metals and non-metals.

If you do that, you will soon notice that most elements of the Periodic Table are metals, however, a few nonmetals are scattered about. Let’s dive into the location of both metals and nonmetals in the periodic table!

Metals In The Periodic Table

So, because most elements of the Table are metals it makes sense to begin by looking at them.

If you look at the Periodic table you will find that the metal elements are located between atomic number 5, Boron (B) all the way to atomic number 84 Polonium (Po). There are only two exceptions, i.e., two elements in that sequence (between number 5 and number 84) that are not metals: atomic number 32, Germanium (Ge); and atomic number 52, Antinomy (Sb). Everything else to the left of those elements is classified as metal.

“If you memorize the periodic table it will speed you up if you’re a chemist, but by and large, the reason you have a periodic table is so that you can store that information outside of your body. That way it frees up some part of your brain to do something else.” — Bill Nye

But, what are metals? The elements that are classified as metals all share a number of characteristics. They all share all or most of the following features:

Metals are solid, with the sole exception of Mercury (Hg), which is liquid. All metals conduct heat and electricity, and they all have a shiny appearance. All metals can be made into thin wires, this feature is technically known as ductility. And they all can also be made into very thin sheets, which is what makes them malleable.

Aside from those features, metals are also characterized by their ability to easily lose electrons.

I still have a vivid memory of my excitemet when I first saw a chart of the periodic table of elements. – Joe Murray

Here is the complete list of metal elements, with the whole names, symbols, and their atomic numbers in the Periodic Table:

When first presented with the jumble of the periodic table, I scanned for mercury and couldn’t find it. It is there – between gold, which is also dense and soft, and thallium, which is also poisonous. But the symbol for mercury, Hg, consists of two letters that don’t even appear in its name. – Sam Kean

Non-Metals In The Periodic Table

Non-metals can be easily located on the Periodic Table because they are to the right of the line that looks like a stepping ladder. The only exception to this is atomic number 1, Hydrogen (H), which has a different location on the table.

Non-metals are characterized by having the exact opposite properties of metals.

So, non-metals are brittle instead of solid. And they are not ductile (you cannot make them into thin wires) or malleable (they can not be made into thin sheets. And, instead of easily losing electrons as metals do, non-metals gain them through chemical reactions.

Apart from this, some non-metals are liquid. Remember that the only liquid metal element is Mercury (Hg).

Here is the complete list of metal elements, with the whole names, symbols, and their atomic numbers in the Periodic Table:

Metalloids In The Periodic Table

Some of the elements of the Periodic table are classified as semimetals or metalloids. Why? Because they share properties that are considered to be a cross between non-metals and metals.

You can identify them easily on the Periodic table because they are presented in the shape of a step ladder:

Do you have a favorite element, metal or nonmetal? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!