Though graphite and iodine are non-metals, they are lustrous.
Important Questions on Additional Resources- 1
Why are potassium and magnesium stored under kerosene?
NOTE: The given question in the textbook is incorrect. The correct question is as follows:
Why are potassium and sodium stored under kerosene?
Metalloids are elements with properties which are between those of metals and nonmetals. The most common opinion is that the group consists of the six elements boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony and tellurium. However, some people feel that other elements such as carbon should also be included in this group.
Metalloids usually have a metallic lustre, but unlike metals, they are brittle. Since they are brittle, they cannot be used to make things like cars, houses, utensils, and so on. However, their oxides (especially those of boron and silicon) are used to make glass. In the matter of conducting electricity, metalloids lie between metals and nonmetals. Silicon and germanium, in particular, have special properties with regard to the conduction of electricity, and are called semiconductors. It is these properties that laid the foundation of modern electronics in the second half of the twentieth century. Computers, TVs, solar cells, LEDs—the list of things in which semiconductors are used is very long.
What are metalloids?
