It’s also used in some alloys like stainless steel due to its high melting point and strength at elevated temperatures. Given its ability to exist as both metal and nonmetal, cobalt has many uses across industry sectors, including automotive manufacturing, aerospace engineering, medical technology, electronics production, construction materials manufacturing, jewelry design, additive manufacturing technologies (3D printing), energy storage devices like lithium-ion batteries or fuel cells, etc. It is also highly magnetic and conducts electricity well. In its purest form, cobalt is a hard silver-gray metal with properties similar to iron and nickel. Cobalt is classified as a transition metal,meaning that it shares characteristics of both metals and nonmetals. This means that cobalt can be classified as metal and nonmetal because it has enough electrons for metallic bonding but not enough for covalent bonding. The electrons determine what type of bond an atom can form with other atoms metals tend to have more electrons than nonmetals and form metallic bonds, while nonmetals usually have fewer electrons than metals and form covalent bonds. Atoms are made up of three subatomic particles-protons, neutrons, and electrons-and the arrangement of these particles determines the type of atom. The answer lies in the electron configuration of cobalt atoms. In modern times, cobalt has become increasingly essential in industrial processes due to its unique properties, which allow it to perform a wide range of functions. Cobalt has been known since ancient times and was used to make blue glass and pottery glazes in classical Rome.

It is found in nature as an ore (an impure form of the component) and is also available commercially as a pure metal or alloy. What is Cobalt?Ĭobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27.

This blog post will explore why cobalt fits into both categories and why it’s essential to understand. Have you ever wondered whether cobalt is a metal or nonmetal? The answer may surprise you-cobalt is both.

Cobalt element symbol