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Nonmetals, including (to a limited extent) xenon and probably radon, usually exist as anions or oxyanions in aqueous solution; they generally form ionic or covalent compounds when combined with metals (unlike metals, which mostly form alloys with other metals); and have acidic oxides whereas the common oxides of nearly all metals are basic.
These non-acidic oxides of nonmetals may be amphoteric (like water, H 2 O [63]) or neutral (like nitrous oxide, N 2 O [64] [h]), but never basic. Nonmetals tend to gain electrons during chemical reactions, in contrast to metals which tend to donate electrons.
The chemical elements can be broadly divided into metals, metalloids, and nonmetals according to their shared physical and chemical properties.All elemental metals have a shiny appearance (at least when freshly polished); are good conductors of heat and electricity; form alloys with other metallic elements; and have at least one basic oxide.
The term nonmetal (chemistry) is also used for those elements which are not metallic in their normal ground state; compounds are sometimes excluded from consideration. Some textbooks use the term nonmetallic elements such as the Chemistry of the Non-Metals by Ralf Steudel , [ 25 ] : 4 which also uses the general definition in terms of ...
Carbonic acid is an illustrative example of the Lewis acidity of an acidic oxide. CO 2 + 2OH − ⇌ HCO 3 − + OH − ⇌ CO 3 2− + H 2 O. This property is a key reason for keeping alkali chemicals well sealed from the atmosphere, as long-term exposure to carbon dioxide in the air can degrade the material.
Metal oxides which react with both acids as well as bases to produce salts and water are known as amphoteric oxides. Many metals (such as zinc, tin, lead, aluminium, and beryllium) form amphoteric oxides or hydroxides. Aluminium oxide (Al 2 O 3) is an example of an amphoteric oxide. Amphoterism depends on the oxidation states of the oxide.
As such, the predicted shape and bond angle of sp 3 hybridization is tetrahedral and 109.5°. This is in open agreement with the true bond angle of 104.45°. The difference between the predicted bond angle and the measured bond angle is traditionally explained by the electron repulsion of the two lone pairs occupying two sp 3 hybridized orbitals.
For example, the basic oxide Li 2 O becomes the hydroxide LiOH, and BaO becomes Ba(OH) 2 after reacting with water. In contrast, non-metals usually form acidic oxides. In general, the basicity of oxides increases when towards the lower-left corner of the periodic table, which corresponds to increased metallic properties. [1]