Metalloids Properties

The periodic table of elements was the brain child of Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev. He was a Russian chemist who proposed his version of periodic table in 1864. Mendeleev found that several elements shared similar properties and occur periodically. He divided his periodic table into three divisions - metals, non-metals and metalloids. In this article, we shall learn more about the metalloids properties.

Metalloids are those chemical elements that exhibit properties of both metals and non-metals. They behave as non-metals physically and chemically and show electrical conductivity like metals. However, they are not good conductors of electricity like metals and are known as semiconductors.

Metalloids Characteristics
All chemical elements are placed together according to their physical and chemical properties in the periodic table. Elements are divided as metals and non-metals and few elements that are neither metals or non-metals. Metalloids characteristics include ability to form amphoteric oxides and ability to behave as semiconductors and semi-metals. The metalloids are placed between metals and non-metals in the periodic table. You can read more on characteristics of metalloids.

There are seven metalloids in the periodic table that are placed in Group 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. They form a zigzag step line in the periodic table. They are separated from the metals and non-metals by a line called the 'amphoteric line'. Metalloids in the periodic table include Boron (B), Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge), Arsenic (Ar), Antimony (Sb), Tellurium (Te), Polonium (Po).

What are the Properties of Metalloids ?
Metalloid is a term that is derived from the Greek word metallon that means 'metal' and edios that means 'sort of'. Many metalloids have multiple of oxidation states or valences. They react like non-metals with metals and when act like metals when reacting with non-metals.

Physical Properties
Metalloids can be shiny like metals or dull like non-metals. They are ductile in nature and can be drawn in shapes of pipes. They are conductors of heat and electricity, but not as good as metals. Metalloids like boron, germanium, arsenic are used as dopants in glasses in semiconductor chips. Metalloids are usually brittle in nature and behave as electrical insulators at room temperature.

Chemical Properties
Metalloids tend to have an intermediate property between metals and non-metals. They may look like metals, in case of arsenic and antimony that are crystalline solids. However, in chemical reactions, they may behave either as metals or non-metals. The metalloids are usually amphoteric oxides as metals are basically basic oxides and non-metals are generally acidic oxides. Some metalloids like boron, silicon and germanium behave as semiconductors. Their chemical reactivity depends on the substance they react with. Like boron acts as a metal when reacting with fluorine and behaves as non-metals when reacting with sodium. Many metalloids have different allotropes. For a given metalloid, one of its allotrope may react as a metal and the other allotrope may behave as a non-metal.

Some allotropes have more prominent metal, non-metal or metalloid behavior. Carbon in its diamond allotrope acts like a true non-metal, but graphite allotrope has limited ability to conduct electricity. Allotropes of tin, phosphorous and bismuth exhibit borderline behavior. However, in a standard periodic table layout, you will observe that some metalloids that are placed on the upper right side of the diagonal line through the p-block display increasing non-metallic behavior. Those elements that are placed to the lower left of the line are more metallic in character. This diagonal line is called the 'stair-step' or 'staircase'. In short, non-metals are placed to the right end up and poor metals are placed to the left side below.

This was some information related to the metalloids properties. Their basic properties are somewhere between metals and non-metals. I hope this article has helped you learn more about properties of metalloids.