What do metalloids mean

Time Traveler for metalloid The first known use of metalloid was in See more words from the same year. Statistics for metalloid Look-up Popularity.

Style: MLA. Medical Definition of metalloid Entry 1 of 2. Medical Definition of metalloid Entry 2 of 2. More from Merriam-Webster on metalloid Britannica. Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary. Test your vocabulary with our question quiz! Love words? Need even more definitions? An example is carbon, which may be considered either a nonmetal or a metalloid, depending on its allotrope. The diamond form of carbon looks and behaves as a nonmetal, while the graphite allotrope has a metallic luster and acts as an electrical semiconductor and so is a metalloid. Phosphorus and oxygen are other elements that have both nonmetallic and metalloid allotropes. Selenium is considered to be a metalloid in environmental chemistry.

Other elements that may behave as metalloids under certain conditions are hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, tin, bismuth, zinc, gallium, iodine, lead, and radon.

The electronegativities and ionization energies of the metalloids are between those of the metals and nonmetals, so the metalloids exhibit characteristics of both classes.

Silicon, for example, possesses a metallic luster, yet it is an inefficient conductor and is brittle. The reactivity of the metalloids depends on the element with which they are reacting.

For example, boron acts as a nonmetal when reacting with sodium yet as a metal when reacting with fluorine. The boiling points, melting points, and densities of the metalloids vary widely. The intermediate conductivity of metalloids means they tend to make good semiconductors. Here is a list of the properties common among metalloids:. A few interesting facts about several metalloids:.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Tellurium is used as an alloying agent to improve the machinability of certain steels, as well as in electro-thermal and photovoltaic applications due to its unique thermal properties. Boron is used as a dopant in semiconductors, as a bonding agent in permanent, rare earth magnets, as well as in abrasive and chemical substances.

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