Monday 19 May 2014

Metalloids in the Periodic Table

Metalloids in the periodic table have properties that lie between metals and non-metals. The following article will cover some information related to metalloids.
The first person to come up with a periodic table of elements was Dmitri Ivancritch Mendeleev, a Russian chemist. He came up with the first version of periodic table in 1864. Mendeleeff's table was based on atomic weight of the elements. He found that there were many elements that shared similar properties and occur periodically. Thus, he came up with the name periodic table of elements. His table had been divided into three main sections - the metals, the nonmentals and the metalloids. In this article we shall concentrate on the metalloids in the periodic table.



Classification of Periodic Table

According to Mendeleeff's law of periodic table, the chemical and physical properties of elements vary in a periodic fashion according to their atomic weights. However, the modern periodic table of elements follows the law that the properties of elements vary according to their atomic number and not weight. The elements of a Mendeleev's table were arranged in rows called periods and columns called groups. The chemical elements of the same group had similar properties. There are different regions in the periodic table that are called periodic table blocks, as they are named according to the sub-shell of the last electron of the atom. You can read more on history of the periodic table.



Location of Metallods in the Periodic Table

The metalloids or semi-metals and are placed between the metals and non-metals in the periodic table of elements. There are seven elements that are classified as metalloids and placed in Group 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. They are found in a stair step line that helps differentiate metals from non-metals in the periodic table. This line that separates metalloids from the metals and non-metals in the periodic table is called 'amphoteric line'. 

List of Metalloids

As mentioned above, there are 7 elements in the periodic table that exhibit metalloid behavior. They occur in a diagonal line from boron to astatine through the p block. The elements in the upper right of the line show increasing non-metallic behavior and the elements at the lower left of the line show increasing metallic behavior. The list of metalloids in the periodic table are as follows:
Boron (B)
Silicon (Si)
Germanium (Ge)
Arsenic (As)
Antimony (Sb)
Tellurium (Te)
Polonium (Po)


Properties of Metalloids

The term metalloid comes from the Greek word metallon that means metal and edios that means sort. The metalloids are often seen forming amphoteric oxides and they behave as semiconductors. They have properties of both metals and non-metals in the periodic table. They even carry electric charge that makes them suitable for use in computers and calculators. Their ionization energy as well as electronegativities are between metals and non-metals. There reactivity depends on the metals that the metalloid they are reacting with.

As you can see in the periodic table, that the line distinguishes Boron and Aluminum to the border seen between Polonium and Astatine. However, Aluminum is classified under 'other metals'. The element carbon is a non-metal, but graphite shows limited conductivity that is characteristic of a metalloid. Silicon and germanium show properties of a semiconductor. When boron reacts with sodium it acts as a non-metal, whereas in case of reaction with fluorine, boron exhibits metallic properties. 

This was some information related to metalloids in the periodic table. Metalloids are elements with properties that neither fall under the metallic group or the group of non-metals in the periodic table. I hope this article has helped cleared some of your doubts regarding these interesting elements.


Source:  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/metalloids-in-the-periodic-table.htmlhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/metalloids-in-the-periodic-table.html

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