★ Must-know
Metals are shiny, generally conduct heat and electricity well, can be bent or hammered into sheets, and are almost all solid at room temperature.
Nonmetals are generally poor conductors of heat and electricity; many are gases at room temperature, while solid nonmetals tend to be brittle and dull.
Metalloids are solid at room temperature, have characteristics of metals and nonmetals, are not as brittle as nonmetals, and conduct electricity less well than metals.
Further detail
📌 Matter can be classified as either a pure substance or a mixture.
1. A sample is a pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. What is the sample classified as?
2. A pure sample contains particles of just one kind of atom. Which description best fits the sample?
3. A material is shiny, conducts heat and electricity well, and can be hammered into a thin sheet. Which classification best fits it?
What defines an element?
A pure substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substances.
What makes up an element, and how many atom types does it contain?
An element is made of atoms and contains only one type of atom.
What physical traits characterize metals?
They are shiny, conduct heat and electricity well, can be shaped, and are almost all solid at room temperature.
How do nonmetals typically conduct heat and electricity?
They are generally poor conductors of heat and electricity.
How do metalloids compare with metals and nonmetals?
They share traits of both, are less brittle than nonmetals, and conduct electricity less well than metals.
By the mid-1800s, what unique building block did scientists associate with each element?
A unique type of atom.
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