Metallic Structures Flashcards
What do the properties of metallic structures majorly depend on?
The fact that metallic structures have a sea of free electrons.
What size structures are metallic structures?
Giant structures
Where do the delocalised electrons in every metal come from?
The outer shell of the metal.
Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity because?
Their free electrons are free to move through the whole substance, carrying heat or electricity.
The electrons also hold the structure together in a regular arrangement, how so?
There are strong forces of attraction between positive metal ions and negative electrons.
The layers of metals serve what purpose?
Atoms can slide over each other, allowing metals to be bent or shaped.
What’s an alloy?
An alloy is a metal compound that’s other metals added to it to make it stronger.
Why are alloys useful?
Pure metals can be too soft, or just don’t have the properties required for certain jobs.
Different elements have different sized _____.
Atoms
Because different elements have different sized atoms, why do alloys strengthen a metal?
Because different sized atoms disrupt the layers of the metal so they can’t slide over each other, ergo alloys are harder.
