what are its alternative categories?
The relative homogeneity of the halogens, physical form, electronegativity etc
Nonmetal
the relative homogeneity of the halogens
what is metalloid? It is a type of chemical element. what are the isotopes of this element? UNANSWERABLE what is its description? It is a  mixture of metals and nonmetals. what are the properties of the latter mentioned? Physically, they largely exist as diatomic or monatomic gases while chemically they mostly have high ionisation energies.
wiki:8306030
Nonmetal [SEP] Alternative categories
The nonmetals are sometimes instead divided according to either (1) the relative homogeneity of the halogens; (2) physical form; (3) electronegativity; (4) molecular structure; (5) the peculiar nature of hydrogen, and the relative homogeneity of the halogens; (6) their analogous categories among the metals; or (7) the uniqueness of hydrogen and the treatment of the metalloids as nonmetallic analogues of the post-transition metals. In scheme (1), the halogens are in a category of their own; astatine is classed as a nonmetal, rather than a metalloid; and the remaining nonmetals are referred to as "other nonmetals". If selenium is counted as a metalloid rather than another nonmetal, the resulting set of less active nonmetals (H, C, N, P, O, S) are sometimes instead referred to or categorised as "organogens", "CHONPS" elements or "biogens".