Neither metal nor non-metal

The idea

Materials such as plastic, glass, wood, rubber and paper are not classified as metals or non-metals because they are not elements.

A wooden door

Everything around us is made of something. Iron is a metal. Sulfur is a non-metal. But what about a plastic bottle, a glass window, a wooden door?

Is wood a metal or a non-metal?

• A metal
• A non-metal
• Neither of the two

Three boxes

Tap a thing, then tap its box. Some things belong in neither metal nor non-metal.

Not everything fits

Plastic, glass, wood, rubber and paper are not classified as metals or non-metals because they are not elements.

Only the simple building-block substances called elements are metals or non-metals. The next lesson tells you what an element is.

• Metal | Non-metal | Neither (not an element)
• Iron | Sulfur | Plastic
• Copper | Oxygen | Glass
• Wood, rubber, paper

Notes

Plastic, glass, wood, rubber and paper are not elements, so they are not classified as metals or non-metals.

Check yourself

Which of these is NOT classified as a metal or a non-metal?

Why is glass neither a metal nor a non-metal?

Which of these is a non-metal?

Which group is made only of materials that are neither metals nor non-metals?

• Wood — correct. Yes! Wood is not an element.
• Sulfur. Sulfur is a non-metal.
• Copper. Copper is a metal.
• Because it is not an element — correct. Yes!
• Because it is transparent. Transparency is not the reason. Glass is not an element.
• Because it is heavy. Weight is not the reason. Glass is not an element.
• Rubber. Rubber is not an element, so it is neither.
• Oxygen — correct. Yes! Oxygen is a non-metal.
• Paper. Paper is not an element, so it is neither.
• Plastic, rubber, paper — correct. Yes! None of them is an element.
• Iron, wood, sulfur. Iron is a metal and sulfur is a non-metal.
• Glass, copper, oxygen. Copper is a metal and oxygen is a non-metal.