Question

What are four non-metals that are solids at room temperature?

Answer 1

Hint: We know that matter exists in three states: solid, liquid and gas. The state of matter a substance exhibits is a physical property. Most of the metals are solids at room temperature. However, some substances are gases like carbon dioxide, oxygen and some substances are liquids like mercury and water.

Complete answer:
Matter need not necessarily exist in only one state of matter. A change of state also occurs when it is converted from one state to another. For example: A solid converted into a liquid. Solids are usually rigid and they have a definite shape, definite volume and the particles of a solid vibrate around a fixed axis. A non-metal is an element which does not have the properties of a metal. Non-metals are generally placed at the far right side of the modern periodic table. They are usually dull in appearance as they don’t have any free electrons, the light falling on them does not get reflected. They do not conduct electricity well and are insulators of electricity. The four non-metals that are in solid state at room temperature are sulphur, carbon, phosphorus, and arsenic.

Note:
Non-metals usually have high electronegativity. It means their atoms have a stronger tendency to hold their electrons. Non-metals are brittle and they also lack malleability and ductility. They don’t produce any deep ringing sound when any material hits these substances. So, they are said to be non-sonorous.