Origin and Usage
The origin and usage of the term metalloid is convoluted. Its origin lies in attempts, dating from antiquity, to describe metals and to distinguish between typical and less typical forms. It was first applied in the early 19th century to metals that floated on water (sodium and potassium), and then more popularly to nonmetals. Earlier usage in mineralogy, to describe a mineral having a metallic appearance, can be sourced to at least as early as 1800. Only recently, since the mid-20th century, has it been widely used to refer to intermediate or borderline chemical elements. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has previously recommended abandoning the term metalloid, and suggested using the term semimetal instead. However, use of this latter term has recently been discouraged as it has a quite distinct and different meaning in physics, one which more specifically refers to the electronic band structure of a substance rather than the overall classification of a chemical element. The most recent IUPAC publications on nomenclature and terminology do not include any recommendations on the usage or non-usage of the terms metalloid or semimetal.
Read more about this topic: Metalloid, Nomenclature and History
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