Question

1. Given the following melting point data, are there any generalizations you can make about the melting points of metals versus nonmetals? Are there any exceptions? Explain.

Aluminum 660 C
Carbon 3652 C
Copper 1063 C
Iodine 114 C
Magnesium 649 C
Silicon 1410 C
Sulfur 113 C
Zinc 420C

Answer 1

metals melting point

Zinc 420C
Magnesium 649 C
Aluminium 660 C
Copper 1063 C

__________________________

nonmetals melting point

Sulfur 113 C
Iodine 114 C
Silicon 1410 C
Carbon 3652 C

Answer 2

Not given that, data, no.

The point being made might be that to predict melting points, you need to go into the nature of the bonding in the solid, rather than just saying metal or nonmetal. Both metals and nonmetals are capable of forming either strong or weak bonds in the solid, which lead to high or low melting points. As a rule, it would be correct to say metals melt higher, but there are a number of quite important exceptions (e.g. carbon).

Nonmetals that form molecules (e..g the noble gases, halogens, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus) melt at low temperature, because they only have weak intermolecular forces holding them together. Nonmetals that form extended networks, like carbon and silicon, melt much higher, because they are held together by covalent bonds.

Metals with 2 or more valence electrons to share with other metal atoms, e.g. the Group 2A and 3A metals, and all the transition metals except Group 2B, will have strong metal-metal bonds, and melt high. Metals that only typically share 1 electron, like Group 1A and 3A metals above Al (because of the inert pair effect), or which have a hard time sharing any electrons at all, like the Group 2B metals, will melt low.