Metal
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A metal is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. These properties are all associated with having electrons availa
Iron, shown here as fragments and a 1 cm3 cube, is an example of a chemical element that is a metal.
Metal in the form of a gravy boat made from stainless steel, an alloy largely composed of iron, chromium and nickel
Gallium crystals
Battery demonstration unit for conducting polymers built by nobel laureate Alan MacDiarmid
Nonmetal
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In the context of the periodic table, a nonmetal is a chemical element that mostly lacks distinctive metallic properties. They range from colorless gases like hydrogen to shiny crystals like iodine. P
While arsenic (here sealed in a container to prevent tarnishing) has a shiny appearance and is a reasonable conductor of heat and electricity, it is soft and brittle and its chemistry is predominately nonmetallic.
Boron in its β-rhombohedral phase
Metallic appearance of carbon as graphite
Blue color of liquid oxygen