Reactive Nonmetals
Hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and selenium: the reactive nonmetals that build most of chemistry and all of biology.
What they have in common
Nonmetals have high ionization energies and high electronegativities, so they tend to gain electrons or share them in covalent bonds rather than lose them. Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur make up the bulk of every living cell.
This group excludes the halogens and noble gases, which are also nonmetals but have their own families.
- Poor conductors (graphite is the famous exception)
- Form anions or covalent bonds
- High electronegativity
Reactive nonmetals at a glance
| Element | Z | Mass | Configuration | Valence e⁻ | Charges | EN | Radius (pm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen (H) | 1 | 1.008 | 1s1 | 1 | +, − | 2.2 | 37 |
| Carbon (C) | 6 | 12.011 | [He] 2s2 2p2 | 4 | 4+, 4− | 2.55 | 77 |
| Nitrogen (N) | 7 | 14.007 | [He] 2s2 2p3 | 5 | 3− | 3.04 | 75 |
| Oxygen (O) | 8 | 15.999 | [He] 2s2 2p4 | 6 | 2− | 3.44 | 73 |
| Phosphorus (P) | 15 | 30.974 | [Ne] 3s2 3p3 | 5 | 3− | 2.19 | 106 |
| Sulfur (S) | 16 | 32.065 | [Ne] 3s2 3p4 | 6 | 2− | 2.58 | 102 |
| Selenium (Se) | 34 | 78.96 | [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p4 | 6 | 2− | 2.55 | 116 |
Questions students ask
Is hydrogen a metal or nonmetal?
A nonmetal. It only becomes metallic under extreme pressure, as inside Jupiter.