ElementsWhat are the post-transition metals?
The post-transition metals sit to the right of the transition metals. They are softer and melt at lower temperatures than most transition metals. Aluminium, tin and lead are the best known. The heaviest members shown here, from nihonium to livermorium, have been made only a few atoms at a time, so their place in this family is a prediction.
The family in numbers
Melting points in this family run from 29.8 °C (gallium) to 660.3 °C (aluminium). Among its solid members, the least dense is aluminium (2.7 g/cm³) and the densest is thallium (11.8 g/cm³). Known since ancient times: tin, lead. The most recently discovered member is nihonium (2004).
All post-transition metals compared
| No. | Symbol | Name | Atomic mass | State | Melts at | Boils at | Density g/cm³ | Discovered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Al | Aluminium | 26.981538 | Solid | 660.3 °C | 2,519 °C | 2.7 | 1825 |
| 31 | Ga | Gallium | 69.723 | Solid | 29.8 °C | 2,204 °C | 5.91 | 1875 |
| 49 | In | Indium | 114.818 | Solid | 156.6 °C | 2,072 °C | 7.31 | 1863 |
| 50 | Sn | Tin | 118.71 | Solid | 231.9 °C | 2,602 °C | 7.29 | Ancient |
| 81 | Tl | Thallium | 204.383 | Solid | 303.9 °C | 1,473 °C | 11.8 | 1861 |
| 82 | Pb | Lead | 207 | Solid | 327.5 °C | 1,749 °C | 11.34 | Ancient |
| 83 | Bi | Bismuth | 208.98040 | Solid | 271.4 °C | 1,564 °C | 9.81 | 1753 |
| 113 | Nh | Nihonium | 286.182 | Solid | no value | no value | no value | 2004 |
| 114 | Fl | Flerovium | 290.192 | Solid | no value | no value | no value | 1998 |
| 115 | Mc | Moscovium | 290.196 | Solid | no value | no value | no value | 2003 |
| 116 | Lv | Livermorium | 293.205 | Solid | no value | no value | no value | 2000 |
Other families: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, metalloids, nonmetals, halogens, noble gases, lanthanides, actinides.