History and Basic Properties of Elements
Back in the 1860s, scientists like John Newlands and Dmitri Mendeleev cracked the code of organising elements. Mendeleev was clever enough to leave gaps for elements that hadn't been discovered yet - and he was spot on!
Metals are the show-offs of the periodic table. They're shiny, conduct electricity and heat brilliantly, and you can bend them (malleable) or stretch them (ductile) without breaking. Most are solid at room temperature with high melting points.
Non-metals are completely different beasts. They're dull, brittle (they snap rather than bend), and terrible at conducting heat or electricity. They can be solids, liquids, or gases at room temperature.
Quick Test Tip: Remember SHED for metals - Shiny, Hard, Electrical conductors, Ductile!
The noble gases (Group 0) are chemistry's introverts - they're completely unreactive because they have full outer electron shells. They're colourless, low-density gases that exist as single atoms.