Non-metals
What Non-metals means in Chemistry GCSE, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Non-metals
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Non-metals in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: AQA
Found towards the right and top of the periodic table, they are poor conductors of electricity, often brittle as solids, and tend to form negative ions or share electrons in covalent bonds.
Elements that do not form positive ions.
Topics that use Non-metals
- Metals and non-metals (AQA GCSE)
Related terms
- Atomic structure and periodic table position
- Classification of elements
- Electron transfer
- Group 1 and Group 2 metals
- Group 1, Group 7 and Group 0 trends
- Periodic table layout
- Periodic table structure
- Physical and chemical properties of metals and non-metals
Using Non-metals in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
Practise Chemistry questions
Create a free account to answer exam-style questions on this topic and get feedback on your answers.
A week of Premium from your first lesson · Then the free plan continues · No card, no charge