Is Tellurium a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?
Tellurium (Te) is a metalloid — neither a full metal nor a nonmetal — a metalloid (semi-metal): it straddles the boundary, conducting like a metal in some conditions and behaving like a nonmetal in others. It sits in group 16, period 5, and is a solid at room temperature.
This is the fast lane: one page, one fact, zero digressions. Read the quick answer, check the table, and if your exam needs the full derivation, the sections below walk through it step by step — in Bangla and English, like every page here. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Tellurium page is one click away.
The one-line answer, with reasons
Tellurium is a metalloid — neither a full metal nor a nonmetal. Chemists decide by behaviour, not appearance: metals (unlike Tellurium) give up electrons, shine when freshly cut, and conduct heat and electricity; nonmetals take or share electrons and (as solids) break rather than bend. Tellurium sits exactly on the border, sharing habits of both sides — placed in the metalloid family of the table.
Tellurium's metal/nonmetal report card
| Property | Value | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Metalloid | — |
| Phase at room temp | solid | varies |
| Block | p-block | — |
| Group | 16 | — |
| Period | 5 | — |
The family it belongs to
The whole metalloid family shares one seating area of the table, and every member's family ID card is one click away — compare Tellurium with its upstairs or downstairs neighbour and the family pattern jumps out.
Students also ask
Is Tellurium a good conductor of electricity?
Partly — as a metalloid, Tellurium conducts under some conditions, which is exactly why it is useful in electronics.
Can a gas be a nonmetal — like Tellurium?
Yes — being a metal or nonmetal is about bonding and electron behaviour, not state. At room temperature Tellurium is a solid, and that says nothing against its nonmetallic character.