Metalloid, in chemistry, an imprecise term used to describe a chemical element that forms a simple substance having properties intermediate between those of a typical metal and a typical nonmetal. The term is normally applied to a group of between six and nine elements (boron, silicon, germanium, arsenic, antimony, tellurium, and possibly bismuth, polonium, astatine) found near the center of the P-block or main block of the periodic table. Continue reading from Encyclopedia Britannica
