Which Is The Only Non-metal To Stay In Liquid State At Room Temperature.

Bromine

Water is a compound. The only non-metal that is a liquid at room temperature is a halogen called bromine.

Bromine belongs to the halogen group. It is the only non-metal element that is in a liquid form at room temperature. At room temperature it is a reddish brown fuming liquid with an unpleasant chlorine like smell. This is responsible for its name, which comes from the Greek word 'bromos', meaning stench. Balard was the first to isolate bromine in its pure form in 1826. Contact with skin causes painful burns that take a long time to heal and need to be treated with utmost care in the laboratory. Bromine is largely produced by displacement from sea water. In a lab it is dislodged from the various compounds in water by using chlorine. Bromine was used as an additive to prevent engine "knocking" prior to the removal of leaded gasoline from the market. Its production and use is now largely limited to dyes, photographic chemicals, and disinfectants.