ElementsWhat are the nonmetals?
The nonmetals shown in this family are hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and selenium. They are poor carriers of heat and electricity, and as solids they are brittle, not bendable. They are few in number but make up most of the air, the oceans and every living thing. The halogens and the noble gases are also nonmetals, but they are listed as their own families.
The family in numbers
Melting points in this family run from -259.3 °C (hydrogen) to 3,550 °C (carbon). Among its solid members, the least dense is phosphorus (1.82 g/cm³) and the densest is selenium (4.81 g/cm³). Known since ancient times: carbon, sulfur. The most recently discovered member is selenium (1817).
All nonmetals compared
| No. | Symbol | Name | Atomic mass | State | Melts at | Boils at | Density g/cm³ | Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | H | Hydrogen | 1.0080 | Gas | -259.3 °C | -252.9 °C | 0.00008988 | 1766 |
| 6 | C | Carbon | 12.011 | Solid | 3,550 °C | 3,825 °C | 2.27 | Ancient |
| 7 | N | Nitrogen | 14.007 | Gas | -210 °C | -195.8 °C | 0.0012506 | 1772 |
| 8 | O | Oxygen | 15.999 | Gas | -218.8 °C | -182.9 °C | 0.001429 | 1774 |
| 15 | P | Phosphorus | 30.97376200 | Solid | 44.2 °C | 280.5 °C | 1.82 | 1669 |
| 16 | S | Sulfur | 32.07 | Solid | 115.2 °C | 444.6 °C | 2.07 | Ancient |
| 34 | Se | Selenium | 78.97 | Solid | 220.5 °C | 684.9 °C | 4.81 | 1817 |
Other families: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, post-transition metals, metalloids, halogens, noble gases, lanthanides, actinides.