Eimetallit

Eimetallit, the Finnish term for nonmetals, are a class of chemical elements that lack the typical properties of metals. They generally have low electrical and thermal conductivity, are brittle when solid, and do not possess metallic luster. At room temperature, many nonmetals are gases; some are liquids (bromine) or solids (carbon, sulfur).

Nonmetals occupy the right-hand side of the periodic table, though hydrogen is often treated separately. They encompass a diverse set of elements, including the noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon), the halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine), and the chalcogens (oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium). Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur are central to both organic and inorganic chemistry. Nonmetals tend to have high electronegativities and form covalent bonds; many readily form anions in compounds and participate in a wide range of oxidation states.

Applications and significance are broad. Oxygen supports respiration and combustion; carbon is the backbone of organic chemistry; nitrogen and phosphorus are critical for fertilizers and biochemistry; sulfur is important in industry and vulcanization. Noble gases are used in lighting, cryogenics, and inert atmospheres; halogens serve in disinfectants and chemical synthesis.

In comparisons, nonmetals differ from metalloids, which show intermediate properties, and from metals, which are typically lustrous, malleable, and conductive. Nonmetals are essential to life and modern industry, and the term eimetallit is used in Finnish to describe this group.