Which of the following elements behaves as a typical non metal

Options

A. S
B. Se
C. Te
D. Po

Explanation

To determine which of the given elements behaves as a typical non-metal among sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Identify the Group and Elements**:
- The elements in question (sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium) belong to the 16th group of the periodic table, known as chalcogens.

2. **Understand Non-Metallic Character**:
- Non-metals are characterized by their ability to gain electrons rather than lose them. They typically have higher ionization enthalpies and electronegativities compared to metals.

3. **Check the Outermost Electronic Configuration**:
- The electronic configurations for the outermost shell of the elements are:
- Sulfur: \(3s^2 3p^4\)
- Selenium: \(4s^2 4p^4\)
- Tellurium: \(5s^2 5p^4\)
- Polonium: \(6s^2 6p^4\)

4. **Analyze the Trend in the Group**:
- As we move down the group from sulfur to polonium, the size of the atoms increases due to the addition of electron shells. This increase in size generally leads to a decrease in non-metallic character.

5. **Evaluate Ionization Enthalpy**:
- Ionization enthalpy tends to decrease down the group. Sulfur, being higher up in the group, has a higher ionization enthalpy than selenium, tellurium, and polonium. Higher ionization enthalpy indicates a stronger tendency to retain electrons, characteristic of non-metals.

6. **Conclusion**:
- Among the given elements, sulfur is the highest in the group and has the highest ionization enthalpy, making it the most non-metallic. Therefore, the answer is sulfur.

### Final Answer:
**Sulfur (A)** behaves as a typical non-metal among the given options.