'Metalloid' is a term used in
chemistry when classifying the
chemical elements. On the basis of their general physical and chemical properties, nearly every element in the
periodic table can be termed either a
metal or a
nonmetal - however a few elements with intermediate properties are referred to as
metalloids. (In
Greek ''metallon'' = metal and ''eidos'' = sort)
There is no rigorous definition of the term, however the following properties are usually considered characteristic of metalloids:
★ metalloids often form
amphoteric oxides.
★ metalloids often behave as
semiconductors (B,Si,Ge) to
semimetals (eg. Sb).
The concepts of metalloid and semiconductor should not be confused. Metalloid refers to the properties of certain ''elements'' in relation to the periodic table. Semiconductor refers to the physical properties of ''materials'' (including alloys, compounds) and there is only partial overlap between the two.
The following elements are generally considered metalloids:
[1]
★
Boron (B)
★
Silicon (Si)
★
Germanium (Ge)
★
Arsenic (As)
★
Antimony (Sb)
★
Tellurium (Te)
★
Polonium (Po)
Some
allotropes of elements exhibit more pronounced metal, metalloid or non-metal behavior than others. For example, for the element
carbon, its
diamond allotrope is clearly non-metallic, however the
graphite allotrope displays limited electric conductivity more characteristic of a metalloid.
Phosphorus,
tin,
selenium and
bismuth also have allotropes which display borderline behavior.
In the standard layout of the
periodic table, metalloids occur along the diagonal line through the
p block from boron to astatine. Elements to the upper right of this line display increasing nonmetallic behaviour; elements to the lower left display increasing metallic behaviour. This line is called the "stair-step" or "staircase." The
poor metals are to the left and down and the
nonmetals are to the right and up. In addition, the
halogens are found at the right.
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|
B Boron | C Carbon | N Nitrogen | O Oxygen | F Fluorine |
Al Aluminium | Si Silicon | P Phosphorus | S Sulfur | Cl Chlorine |
Ga Gallium | Ge Germanium | As Arsenic | Se Selenium | Br Bromine |
In Indium | Sn Tin | Sb Antimony | Te Tellurium | I Iodine |
Tl Thallium | Pb Lead | Bi Bismuth | Po Polonium | At Astatine |
Reference
1. ACS Periodic Table. [1]