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Properties of Metals: Metallic Bonding

Metallic bonding occurs when metal atoms are closely packed together, causing their valence electrons to drift away from the atoms and form a sea of delocalized electrons surrounding the positive metal ions. This electrostatic attraction between the metal ions and delocalized electrons exists in all directions and is responsible for metals having high melting points, being good conductors of heat and electricity, and being malleable and ductile.

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Nuan Ting Ng
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247 views2 pages

Properties of Metals: Metallic Bonding

Metallic bonding occurs when metal atoms are closely packed together, causing their valence electrons to drift away from the atoms and form a sea of delocalized electrons surrounding the positive metal ions. This electrostatic attraction between the metal ions and delocalized electrons exists in all directions and is responsible for metals having high melting points, being good conductors of heat and electricity, and being malleable and ductile.

Uploaded by

Nuan Ting Ng
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Metallic bonding

• Metallic bonding is a third type of giant structure.


• The metal atoms are closely packed together in a regular arrangement.

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As they are very close to each other,
the valence electrons tend to drift away

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from the atoms. Thus a sea of
delocalised ( mobile) electrons is formed
surrounding the positive metal ions. The

b.
positively charged metal ions are held
together by their strong attraction to

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the mobile electrons that keep moving
between the ions. This is metallic
du bonding. The electrostatic attraction
between the metal ions and the
electrons exists in all directions.
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Properties of metals
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• Most metals have a high melting and boiling point:


Reason: It takes a lot of energy to weaken the strong forces of attraction
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between the metal ions and the delocalised electrons in the lattice. These
attractive forces can be overcome only when the temperature is too high.
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• Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity.


Reason: When a voltage is applied, the delocalised electrons move through the
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metal lattice towards the positive pole of the cell or power pack. But if the
vibrations of atoms becomes faster due to high temperature , The electrons
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will not be able to move easily through the lattice. That is why the electrical
conductivity of a lattice decreases with an increase in temperature.
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Conduction of heat is due to vibrations of the atoms passing on the energy


from one atom to the next. The metallic structure allows the atoms to vibrate
more freely. The delocalised electrons can also carry energy through the
metal lattice structure quickly.

• Metals are malleable and ductile.


The positive ions in a metal are arranged regularly in layers. When a force is

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applied, the layers can slide over each other. In a metallic bond, the
attractive forces between

co
the metallic ions and the
electrons exist in all
directions. So when the

b.
layers slide, new bonds
can easily form. This

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leaves the metal with a
different shape.
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