What Element Is A Good Insulator?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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What element is a good insulator? The elements that belong to group 18 of the modern periodic table can be considered as some of the best electric insulators since they all contain completely filled valence shells and are, therefore, stable. Other examples of elements that are good insulators are

sulfur and silicon

.

Is carbon a good insulator?

Carbon is one of the most abundant elements found on earth. It occurs freely in crystalline forms such as diamond and graphite. Because of their difference in structures,

diamond is an electrical insulator

, whereas graphite is a good electrical conductor.

What is a good insulator of heat?


Plastic, rubber, wood, and ceramics

are good insulators. These are often used to make kitchen utensils, such as saucepan handles, to stop heat from flowing up to burn the cook’s hand. Plastic coating is also used to cover most electrical wires in appliances. Air is also a good insulator of heat.

Is bromine a good insulator?

Non-metals are the bad conductor of electricity except one i.e Graphite(made of carbon). Hence iodine,sulphur and bromine

do not conduct electricity

.

Is oxygen an insulator?

The many structures of oxygen


Under standard conditions, the molecule has insulating properties

. If the pressure increases, oxygen metallises and becomes a superconductor.

As a general rule, substances which are good conductors of heat are also good conductors of electricity. Thus,

all metals are conductors

, whereas air, (pure) water, plastics, glasses, and ceramics are insulators.

– Iron is also a metal. It also conducts electricity. It doesn’t conduct electricity and therefore,

it is an insulator

.


It is a fairly good conductor of heat and electricity

. In its familiar compounds nickel is bivalent, although it assumes other valences. It also forms a number of complex compounds. Most nickel compounds are blue or green.

Sulphur’s electrons are very tightly held and cannot move around therefore

it is more of an insulator

. Since sulphur is dull and brittle in solid form, and this again tells it is a poor conductor, because it is harder for electrons to move around when they are packed tightly as a solid.

Some materials let electricity pass through them easily. These materials are known as electrical conductors. Many metals, such as copper, iron and steel, are

good electrical conductors

.

Common metals ranked by thermal conductivity Rank Metal Thermal Conductivity [BTU/(hr·ft⋅°F)] 1

Copper

223
2 Aluminum 118 3 Brass 64

– Phosphorus is highly reactive but it is non-metal and won’t allow the electricity to pass through it. – So,

because of the higher stability of the half-filled electrons in 2p orbital makes phosphorus as an insulator

. – Therefore phosphorus is a bad conductor of electricity.

Metallic uranium is a

poor electrical conductor

, its electrical conductivity is almost twice as low as that of iron.

Nitrogen is

insulator

. It is bad conductor of heat.


Rubber is known to be an insulator

because rubber can limit the transfer of electricity. The rubber properties prevent the electrons to be able to freely move and the addition of the electrons being tightly bounded makes rubber a good insulator . Rubber itself usually cannot conduct electricity without any assistance.

  • Rubber.
  • Glass.
  • Pure water.
  • Oil.
  • Air.
  • Diamond.
  • Dry wood.
  • Dry cotton.


A conductor allows current to flow easily through it. Insulators don’t allow current to flow through it

. Electric charge exists on the surface of conductors. Electric charges are absent in insulator.

  • Silver.
  • Gold.
  • Copper.
  • Aluminum.
  • Mercury.
  • Steel.
  • Iron.
  • Seawater.
Jasmine Sibley
Author
Jasmine Sibley
Jasmine is a DIY enthusiast with a passion for crafting and design. She has written several blog posts on crafting and has been featured in various DIY websites. Jasmine's expertise in sewing, knitting, and woodworking will help you create beautiful and unique projects.