Differences in Physical Properties:
| Sno. | Metals | Non-Metals |
| 1 | Metals are malleable. | Non-metals are non-malleable or brittle. |
| 2 | Metals are ductile. | Non-metals are non-ductile |
| 3 | Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity. | Non-metals are bad conductors of heat and electricity. |
| 4 | Metals are Lustrous and can be polished. | Non-metals are non-lustrous and cannot be polished. |
| 5 | Metals are solid at room temperature. | Non-metals may be solid, liquid or Gases at room temperature. |
| 6 | The melting and boiling points of metals are generally high. | Non-metals have low melting and boiling points as compared to metals. |
| 7 | All metals are strong. | Non-metals are not strong. |
| 8 | Generally, metals are hard. | Most of Non-metals are soft. |
| 9 | Metals are heavy. | Non-metals are light substances. |
| 10 | Metals are sonorous. | Non-metals are non-sonorous. |
Differences in Chemical Properties:
| Sno. | Metals | Non-Metals |
| 1 | All metals react with oxygen to form metal oxides | All non-metals react with oxygen to form acidic or neutral oxides. |
| 2 | Metals react with water to produce metal oxide (or metal hydroxide) and hydrogen gas. | Non-metals do not react with water. |
| 3 | Metals react with a dilute acid to form a metal salt and hydrogen gas. | Non-metals do not react with dilute acids . |
| 4 | All metals react with chlorine to form ionic metal chlorides. | Non-metals react with chlorine to form covalent chlorides. |
| 5 | Only a few metals like Na, K, Ca and Mg react with hydrogen to form metal hydrides. | Non-metals react with hydrogen to form covalent Hydrides. |
Test your understanding and answer these questions:
- What are differences in physical and chemical properties of metals and nonmetals?