Post-transition metal

Periodic table extract showing the location of the post-transition metals. Zn, Cd and Hg are sometimes counted as post-transition metals rather than as transition metals. The dashed line is the traditional dividing line between metals and nonmetals. The symbols for the elements commonly recognized as metalloids are in italics. The status of elements 110 to 118 has not been confirmed.
^ Aluminium is occasionally not counted as a post-transition metal given its absence of d electrons
Polonium is sometimes instead counted as a metalloid
Astatine is widely regarded as either a nonmetal or less often as a metalloid but has been predicted to be a metal

The metallic elements in the periodic table located between the transition metals to their left and the chemically weak nonmetallic metalloids to their right have received many names in the literature, such as post-transition metals, poor metals, other metals, p-block metals and chemically weak metals. The most common name, post-transition metals, is generally used in this article.

Physically, these metals are soft (or brittle), have poor mechanical strength, and usually have melting points lower than those of the transition metals. Being close to the metal-nonmetal border, their crystalline structures tend to show covalent or directional bonding effects, having generally greater complexity or fewer nearest neighbours than other metallic elements.

Chemically, they are characterised—to varying degrees—by covalent bonding tendencies, acid-base amphoterism and the formation of anionic species such as aluminates, stannates, and bismuthates (in the case of aluminium, tin, and bismuth, respectively). They can also form Zintl phases (half-metallic compounds formed between highly electropositive metals and moderately electronegative metals or metalloids).


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