Which of the following household items is most likely to contain materials made from metalloid elements?

• A. Aluminum foil
• B. Table salt
• C. Computer microchips
• D. Plastic containers

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand what metalloids are. Metalloids are elements with properties intermediate between metals and nonmetals. Common metalloids include silicon, arsenic, and boron.
2. Step 2: Identify which household items might contain metalloids. Aluminum foil is made of aluminum, a metal; table salt is typically sodium chloride, made of metal and nonmetal ions; plastic containers are made from polymers, which are organic compounds mainly composed of carbon and hydrogen.
3. Step 3: Recognize that computer microchips are primarily made from silicon, which is a metalloid. Silicon's semiconducting properties make it ideal for microchip manufacturing.
4. Step 4: Conclude that among the options, computer microchips are most likely to contain materials made from metalloid elements due to their silicon content.
5. Step 5: Summarize that the key to solving this problem is linking the material composition of each item to the presence of metalloids, focusing on silicon in microchips.