http://www.ck12.org Chapter 2. Matter
FIGURE 2.111
Boron is a very hard, black metalloid with
a high melting point. In the mineral called
borax, it is used to wash clothes. In
boric acid, it is used as an eyewash and
insecticide.reactive. All of them are solids at room temperature.
FIGURE 2.112
Germanium is a brittle, shiny, silvery-
white metalloid. Along with silicon, it
is used to make the tiny electric cir-
cuits on computer chips. It is also used
to make fiber optic cables—like the one
pictured here—that carry telephone and
other communication signals.Group 15: Nitrogen Group
Group 15 of the periodic table is also called the nitrogen group. The first element in the group is the nonmetal
nitrogen (N), followed by phosphorus (P), another nonmetal. Arsenic (As) (Figure2.113) and antimony (Sb) are
the metalloids in this group, and bismuth (Bi) is a metal. All group 15 elements have five valence electrons, but they
vary in their reactivity. Nitrogen, for example, is not very reactive at all, whereas phosphorus is very reactive and
found naturally only in combination with other substances. All group 15 elements are solids, except for nitrogen,
which is a gas.