NON METALS AND THEIR

Non-metals are elements that lack metallic properties. They're poor conductors of electricity and heat, brittle when solid, and form covalent bonds with other elements. Common non-metals include oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorine. Think of the air you breathe—it's mostly nitrogen and oxygen, both non-metals.

Non-metallic compounds form when non-metals combine with each other or with metals. For example, when nitrogen reacts with hydrogen, ammonia (NH₃) is produced. Nigeria uses ammonia extensively in fertilizer production at places like Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Company. Another important compound is carbon dioxide (CO₂), formed from carbon and oxygen, which plants use during photosynthesis.

Understanding these compounds matters because they're essential to agriculture, industry, and life itself. Many fertilizers, plastics, and chemicals we use daily contain non-metallic compounds.

Carbon is a non-metal element that exists in different forms called allotropes. The most common forms are diamond, graphite, and charcoal. Diamond is the hardest natural substance known, used in jewellery and industrial cutting tools. Graphite is soft and conducts electricity, making it useful for pencil leads and lubricants. Charcoal, which you can produce by burning wood incompletely, is porous and absorbs gases and liquids effectively.

What makes carbon special is its ability to form four covalent bonds with other atoms. This property allows carbon to create millions of different compounds, which is why it forms the backbone of all living organisms. Carbon also burns in oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, a key process in respiration and combustion. Understanding carbon's versatility and its different forms will help you answer questions about non-metal properties on your WAEC exam.

Carbon is a fascinating non-metal that can exist in different forms called allotropes. These are different physical forms of the same element where atoms are arranged differently. Diamond, graphite, and buckminsterfullerene are the three main allotropes of carbon.

Diamond is the hardest natural substance known, with carbon atoms arranged in a very tight tetrahedral structure. This makes it valuable for cutting and jewellery. Graphite, found in pencil lead, has a layered structure making it soft and slippery. Nigeria has significant diamond deposits, particularly in the southern regions, which have been commercially mined for decades.

Buckminsterfullerene, discovered more recently, has sixty carbon atoms arranged in a soccer ball shape. The key difference between these allotropes is simply how the carbon atoms are bonded and arranged in space, not the element itself.

Understanding allotropes helps you see that elements can have multiple identities based on structure alone.

Coal exists in four main types based on carbon content and age: peat (youngest, lowest carbon), lignite, bituminous, and anthracite (oldest, highest carbon). Nigeria's coal deposits at Enugu are primarily bituminous coal, which is widely used for energy and industrial purposes.

Destructive distillation means heating coal without air in a closed container, breaking it down into useful products. This process produces four valuable substances: coal gas (used for heating and lighting), coal tar (used to make medicines and dyes), coke (used in metal smelting), and ammonia (used in fertilizers).

Each product has important industrial applications. Coke is especially crucial because it's used to extract iron from iron ore in blast furnaces. Coal tar serves as raw material for pharmaceuticals and explosives. These products demonstrate why coal remains economically important despite modern energy alternatives.

Coke is a solid fuel made by heating coal in the absence of air. Think of it as coal that has been specially processed to remove impurities and moisture. This non-metal is classified as a fuel and reducing agent because it can remove oxygen from metal ores during smelting.

In Nigeria, coke is essential in our steel industries. It's used in blast furnaces to extract iron from iron ore, making it crucial for manufacturing steel products. Coke also produces synthetic gas—a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen—when steam passes through hot coke. This synthetic gas, also called water gas, serves multiple purposes: it's a fuel, a reducing agent, and a chemical feedstock for various industrial processes.

The manufacturing process is straightforward: coal undergoes destructive distillation at high temperatures without oxygen, leaving behind the carbon-rich coke. Understanding both the production method and applications is vital for your exam.

Carbon forms important oxides that you must understand for WAEC. Carbon (IV) oxide, commonly called CO₂, is a colorless gas produced when we burn fuels or when living things respire. You see it daily in Nigeria when carbonated drinks fizz – that's CO₂ escaping. Carbon (II) oxide, called CO, is a poisonous gas formed when carbon burns with limited oxygen, like in poorly ventilated charcoal stoves. This is why people must ensure good ventilation when using charcoal indoors.

Trioxocarbonate (IV) salts are compounds containing CO₃²⁻ ions. Common examples include calcium carbonate found in limestone, and sodium trioxocarbonate(IV) which we use for washing. When acids react with these carbonates, they release CO₂ gas – this is a useful test in chemistry.