Neither fully metal nor fully non-metal — they sit on the "staircase" line of the table, shiny but brittle, and that in-between nature is exactly what makes computer chips possible. Tap a shard to explore each one.
BBoronHard, dark, brittle solid
Atomic number
5
Atomic mass
10.8
Added to ordinary glass to make it far more resistant to heat, creating borosilicate glass — the kind used in oven-safe dishes like Pyrex. It's also used in fibreglass and laundry detergents.
Why do they matter so much? Metalloids conduct electricity, but not as freely as metals — which makes them semiconductors. Engineers can switch that conductivity on and off, which is the basic trick behind every transistor. Without metalloids like silicon, there would be no computer chips, phones, or solar panels.
1. Which metalloid is the basis of almost every computer chip?
2. What is a material called if it conducts electricity, but not as well as a metal?
3. Which metalloid is added to glass to make it heat-resistant, as in oven-safe dishes?
4. Which metalloid is used in fibre-optic cables and night-vision lenses?