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Metalloids as Intermediate Semiconductors

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State

Metalloids occupy the diagonal band between metals and nonmetals, and their intermediate electronegativity makes most of them semiconductors rather than conductors or insulators.

Show

Silicon conducts electricity far better than a nonmetal like sulfur but far worse than a true metal like copper.

Watch for

Looking metallic is not the same as behaving metallic — metalloids often have a shiny, metal-like appearance despite conducting poorly.