Metallic Bonding Flashcards
What are metals?
Metals are shiny elements made up of atoms that can easily lose up to three outer electrons, forming positive metal ions
What occurs during metallic bonding?
During metallic bonding, positive ions tend to repel one another, which is balanced by the electrostatic attraction of these positive ions for the negatively charged ‘sea’ of delocalised electrons
Why do metals tend to have high densities?
Metals tend to have high densities because metal atoms are more closely packed
What is the number of delocalised electrons surrounding a metal atom determined by?
The number of delocalised electrons depends on how many electrons that have been lost by each metal atom
What are the properties of metals?
Metals are:
1. Good conductors of heat and electricity
- Tend to be quite strong
- Malleable (can be beaten into shape) and ductile (can be pulled into wires)
- Have high melting points
Why are metals good conductors of electricity?
The delocalised electrons that can move throughout the structure explain why the metals are good conductor. An electron from the negative terminal of the supply joins the electron sea at one end of a metal wire while at the same time a different electron leaves the wire at the positive terminal.
Why are metals good conductors of heat?
Metals are good conductors of heat because they have high thermal conductivities. The sea of delocalised electrons are partly responsible as energy spreads by increasingly vigorous vibrations of the closely packed ions
How does the charge of an ion affect the strength of a metal?
The greater the charge is on an ion, the greater the number of delocalised electrons forming a stronger electrostatic attraction between the positive ions and electrons
What does the strength of a metal depend on?
The strentgh of a metal depends on the charge of an ion and the size of an ion
Metals are malleable and ductile, what does this mean?
Metals that are malleable can be beaten into shape and metals that are ductile can be pulled into thin wires
How does the size of an ion affect the strength of a metal?
The smaller the ion the more close the electrons will be to the positive nucleus. Therefore forming stronger bonds
Why do metals have high melting and boiling points?
Metals have high melting and boiling points because of their giant structures. There is strong attraction between the metal ions and the delocalised sea of electrons, making the atoms difficult to separate
