Editing Nonmetal (section)

===Uses===
[[File:Argon.jpg|alt=seven large red cylinders, with green tops, side by side in a rack|thumb|right|270x270px|Cylinders containing argon gas for use in extinguishing fire without damaging [[computer server]] equipment]]
Nonmetallic elements are present in combination with other elements in almost everything around us, from water to plastics and within metallic alloys. There are some specific uses of the elements themselves, although these are less common; extensive details can be found in the specific pages of the relevant elements. A few examples are:

# Hydrogen can be used in [[Fuel cell|fuel cells]], and is being explored for a possible future low-carbon [[hydrogen economy]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Xuan |last2=Shi |first2=Zheng |last3=Glass |first3=Nancy |last4=Zhang |first4=Lu |last5=Zhang |first5=Jiujun |last6=Song |first6=Datong |last7=Liu |first7=Zhong-Sheng |last8=Wang |first8=Haijiang |last9=Shen |first9=Jun |date=2007-03-20 |title=A review of PEM hydrogen fuel cell contamination: Impacts, mechanisms, and mitigation |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0378775306025304 |journal=Journal of Power Sources |series=IBA – HBC 2006 |volume=165 |issue=2 |pages=739–756 |doi=10.1016/j.jpowsour.2006.12.012 |bibcode=2007JPS...165..739C |issn=0378-7753}}</ref>
# Carbon has many uses, ranging from decorative applications of [[Diamond (gemstone)|diamond jewelry]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Purbrick |first=L. |date=2011-02-22 |title=Brilliant Effects: A Cultural History of Gem Stones and Jewellery |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/jdh/epq052 |journal=Journal of Design History |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=88–90 |doi=10.1093/jdh/epq052 |issn=0952-4649}}</ref> to diamond in [[Diamond cutting|cutting blades]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harlow |first=George E. |title=The nature of diamonds |date=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press in association with the American Museum of Natural History |others=American museum of natural history |isbn=978-0-521-62083-3 |location=Cambridge}}</ref> and graphite as a [[solid lubricant]].<ref name=":1" />
# [[Liquid nitrogen]] is extensively used as a coolant.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Beteta |first1=Oscar |last2=Ivanova |first2=Svetlana |date=September 2015 |title=Cool down with liquid nitrogen |url=https://www.aiche.org/sites/default/files/cep/20150930.pdf |website=American Institute of Chemical Engineers}}</ref>
# Oxygen is a critical component of the air we breath. (While nitrogen is also present, it is less used from the air, mainly by certain bacteria.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Franche |first1=Claudine |last2=Lindström |first2=Kristina |last3=Elmerich |first3=Claudine |date=2009 |title=Nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with leguminous and non-leguminous plants |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11104-008-9833-8 |journal=Plant and Soil |language=en |volume=321 |issue=1–2 |pages=35–59 |doi=10.1007/s11104-008-9833-8 |bibcode=2009PlSoi.321...35F |issn=0032-079X}}</ref>) Oxygen gas and liquid is also heavily used for combustion in [[Oxy-fuel welding and cutting|welding and cutting torches]] and as a component of [[rocket fuels]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basics of Space Flight: Rocket Propellants |url=http://www.braeunig.us/space/propel.htm |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=www.braeunig.us}}</ref>
# Silicon is the most widely used semiconductor. While ultra-pure silicon is an insulator, by selectively adding [[Doping (semiconductor)|electronic dopants]] it can be used as a [[semiconductor]] where the [[chemical potential]] of the electrons can be manipulated, this being exploited in a wide range of [[electronic devices]].<ref name=":0" />
# The noble gases have a range of applications, including [[liquid helium]] for [[cryogenic cooling]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=4 Ways Cryogenic Applications of Helium Can Be Used |url=https://www.cryogenicsociety.org/index.php?option=com_dailyplanetblog&view=entry&category=industry-news&id=189:4-ways-cryogenic-applications-of-helium-can-be-used |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=www.cryogenicsociety.org}}</ref> and argon to in [[gaseous fire suppression]] to -damp fires around sensitive electrical equipment where water cannot be used.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=M. J. |title=Which Gases Are Used in Fire Suppression Systems? |url=https://www.firetrace.com/fire-protection-blog/gases-used-in-fire-suppression-systems |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=www.firetrace.com |language=en}}</ref>
# Radon is a potentially hazardous indoor pollutant.<ref>[[#Maroni|Maroni 1995, pp.&nbsp;108–123]]</ref>