Difference Between Metals And Nonmetals

Difference Between Metals And Nonmetals

The major dissimilarities or difference between metals and nonmetals can be described as follows:

1. Introduction

Metals: Hard, malleable, shining and dense solid materials are known as metals.

Nonmetals: Soft and non-shiny materials that lack the features of metals are known as nonmetals.

2. Form/State

Metals: Except mercury, all metals are in solid state

Nonmetals: They may be in the form of solid, liquid or gas

3. Conductor Of Heat And Electricity

Metals: Good conductors

Nonmetals: Bad conductors

4. Nature

Metals: Hard, ductile, malleable and lustrous in nature.

Nonmetals: Soft, dull, non-malleable, and brittle in nature

5. Ionization Enthalpy

Metals: Low

Nonmetals: High

6. Sonorous Or Not

Metals: They are sonorous and produce sound

Nonmetals: They are not sonorous and do not make any sound

7. Density

Metals: They have high density than nonmetals

Nonmetals: They have less density than metals

8. Melting Point

Metals: They have high melting point than nonmetals

Nonmetals: They have low melting point while comparing to metals.

9. Boiling Point

Metals: They have high boiling point than nonmetals

Nonmetals: They have low boiling point

10. Strength

Metals: They are stronger than nonmetals

Nonmetals: They are not strong as metals

11. Reaction

Metals: They react with water and dilute acid

Nonmetals: They do not react with water and acid

12. Examples

Metals: Iron, gold, silver, sodium etc. are some examples of metals.
Nonmetals: Nitrogen, diamond, phosphate etc. are some examples of nonmetals

Metals Vs Nonmetals (Comparison Chart)

Basis	Metals	Nonmetals
Introduction	Hard, shining and dense solid materials	Soft and non-shiny materials
State/Form	Solid	Solid, liquid or gas
Conductor Of Heat/Temperature	Good conductor	Bad conductor
Nature	Hard, ductile, lustrous and malleable	Soft, dull, non-malleable and brittle
Ionization Enthalpy	Low	High
Sonorous Or Not	Yes	No
Density	High	Less
Melting Point	High	Low
Boiling Point	High	Low
Strength	More	Less
Reaction With Water And Acid	Yes	No
Examples	Iron, gold, silver etc.	Diamond, nitrogen etc.

I hope this post is helpful to understand the difference between metals and nonmetals and to make comparison between them.