Question

What are metalloids? Give examples of any two metalloids in the periodic table and write their electronic configuration.

Answer 1

• Metalloids are those elements whose physical and chemical properties are between metals and non-metals.
• There are six major metalloids present in the periodic table, namely Boron (B), Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge), Arsenic (As), Antimony (Sb), Tellurium (Te), and Astatine (At).
• They occur diagonally in the periodic table from Group number 13 to 16.
• Silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge) are two metalloids in the periodic table that belong to Group 14.
• The atomic number (Z) of Si is 14 and for Germanium is 32.
• The electronic configuration of Si is $1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s^{2}3p^2$.
• The electronic configuration of Ge is $1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s^{2}3p^{6}3d^{10}4s^{2}4p^2$.