The dividing line between metals and nonmetals can be found, in varying configurations, on some representations of the periodic table of the elements (see mini-example, right). Elements to the lower left of the line generally … See more

This line has been called the amphoteric line, the metal-nonmetal line, the metalloid line, the semimetal line, or the staircase. While it has also been called the Zintl border or the Zintl line these terms instead refer to a vertical line sometimes drawn between groups 13 … See more

Mendeleev wrote that, "It is, however, impossible to draw a strict line of demarcation between metals and nonmetals, there being many intermediate substances". Several other sources note confusion or ambiguity as to the location of the dividing line; … See more

• Summary of an ACS presentation on the "myth" of the dividing line Archived 2017-06-05 at the Wayback Machine See more

References to a dividing line between metals and nonmetals appear in the literature as far back as at least 1869. In 1891, Walker published a periodic "tabulation" with a … See more

A dividing line between metals and nonmetals is sometimes replaced by two dividing lines. One line separates metals and metalloids; the other metalloids and nonmetals. See more

1. ^ Horvath 1973, p. 336
2. ^ Levy 2001, p. 158
3. ^ Tarendash 2001, p. 78
4. ^ … See more