Question

How do you determine if an element is a metal ,nonmetal and metalloid?

Answer 1

Hint: The elements can be classified as metals, nonmetals, or metalloids.
Metals are towards the left of the periodic table
Non metals are towards the right of the periodic table.
Metalloids are present in the stair form if you see the periodic picture.

Complete step by step answer:
Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity, and are malleable (they can be hammered into sheets) and ductile (they can be drawn into wire). Most of the metals are solids at room temperature, with a characteristic silvery shine (except for mercury, which is a liquid).
Since the metals are further to the left on the periodic table, they have low ionization energies and low electron affinities, so they lose electrons relatively easily and gain them with difficulty. They also have relatively few valence electrons, and can form ions (and thereby satisfy the octet rule) more easily by losing their valence electrons to form positively charged cations.
When elements combine to form compounds, there are two major types of bonding that can result. Ionic bonds form when there is a transfer of electrons from one species to another, producing charged ions which attract each other very strongly by electrostatic interactions, and covalent bonds, which result when atoms share electrons to produce neutral molecules. In general, metal and nonmetals combine to form ionic compounds, while nonmetals combine with other nonmetals to form covalent compounds (molecules).
Nonmetals are (usually) poor conductors of heat and electricity, and are not malleable or ductile; many of the elemental nonmetals are gases at room temperature, while others are liquids and others are solids.
Nonmetals are further to the right on the periodic table, and have high ionization energies and high electron affinities, so they gain electrons relatively easily, and lose them with difficulty. They also have a larger number of valence electrons, and are already close to having a complete octet of eight electrons. The nonmetals gain electrons until they have the same number of electrons as the nearest noble gas (Group $8\text{A}$), forming negatively charged anions which have charges that are the group number minus eight. That is, the Group \[7A\] nonmetals form 1- charges, the Group \[6\text{A}\] nonmetals form charges, and the Group \[5\text{A}\] metals form $3\text{-}$charges. The Group $8\text{A}$ elements already have eight electrons in their valence shells, and have little tendency to either gain or lose electrons, and do not readily form ionic or molecular compounds.

Note: The metalloids are intermediate in their properties. In their physical properties, they are more like the nonmetals, but under certain circumstances, several of them can be made to conduct electricity. These semiconductors are extremely important in computers and other electronic devices.