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What is Non-Metal?
Non-metals are the elements which form negative ions by accepting or gaining electrons. Non-metals usually have 4, 5, 6 or 7 electrons in their outermost shell
Non-metals are those which lack all the metallic attributes. They are good insulators of heat and electricity. They are mostly gases and sometimes liquid. Some of then are even solid at room temperature like Carbon, sulphur and phosphorus.
Properties of Non metals
Characteristic properties of non-metals are high ionization energies and high electronegativity. Owing to these properties, non-metals usually gain electrons when react with other compounds, forming covalent bonds.
The following are the general properties of non-metals.
The atoms of non-metals tend to be smaller than those of metals. Several of the other properties of non-metals result from their atomic sizes.
Non-metals have high electronegativities. This means that the atoms of non-metals have a strong tendency to attract more electrons than what they would normally have.
Non-metals have high electronegativities. This means that the atoms of non-metals have a strong tendency to hold on to the electrons that already have. In contrast, metals rather easily give up one or more electrons to non-metals, metal therefore easily form positively charged ions, and metals readily conduct electricity.