As expected, semimetals exhibit properties intermediate between metals and nonmetals. But, periodic table colors are about aesthetics and printer capabilities. Most solid nonmetals are brittle, so they break into small pieces when hit with a hammer or pulled into a wire. If you build a molecule using a kit, the color of the atoms matters. Nonmetals can be gases (such as chlorine), liquids (such as bromine), or solids (such as iodine) at room temperature and pressure. Nonmetals, in contrast, are generally poor conductors of heat and electricity and are not lustrous. Of the metals, only mercury is a liquid at room temperature and pressure all the rest are solids. The vast majority of the known elements are metals. Metals-such as copper or gold-are good conductors of electricity and heat they can be pulled into wires because they are ductile they can be hammered or pressed into thin sheets or foils because they are malleable and most have a shiny appearance, so they are lustrous. Non-metals have a tendency to gain or share electrons with other atoms. The distinction between metals and nonmetals is one of the most fundamental in chemistry. There are four colours showing different classes of the elements. Gold-colored lements that lie along the diagonal line exhibit properties intermediate between metals and nonmetals they are called semimetals. A majority of the elements on the periodic table of elements categorize themselves as metals. The attached picture is that of the periodic table of elements. Non-metals can be gaseous, liquids or solids. They are non-lustrous, brittle and poor conductors of heat and electricity (except graphite). \) divides the elements into metals (in blue, below and to the left of the line) and nonmetals (in bronze, above and to the right of the line). Elements that tend to gain electrons to form anions during chemical reactions are called non-metals.