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 between the positive metal ions and the 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 the number of electrons 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 heat and electricity?
Metals are good conductors of both heat and electricity because they contain delocalised electrons which are free to move around. Delocalised electrons can carry current as well as transfer kinetic energy between themselves.
Why are metals good conductors of heat?
Metals have high thermal conductivities.They have a sea of delocalised electrons that carry electrical charges through the metal and transfer energies
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 the delocalised electrons
What are the three factors that affect the strength of a metal?
1) The number of protons - the more protons, the stronger the bond
2) The number of delocalised electrons per atom - the more delocalised electrons, the stronger the bond
3) The size of the ion - the smaller the ion, the stronger the bond
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
Why 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 giant structures with strong attractions between the positive metal ions and the delocalised electrons, which make the structures more difficult to separate
