Principles of Chemistry - Metallic Bonding (Paper 2)

Question 1

how are atoms arranged in metallic bonding?

Answer 1

• when metal atoms join together the outer electrons become ‘delocalised’ which means they are free to move throughout the whole structure
• metals have a giant regular arrangement of layers of positive ions surrounded by a sea of delocalised electrons

Question 2

what is metallic bonding?

Answer 2

the strong electrostatic attraction between positive metal ions and a sea of delocalised electrons

Question 3

are metals good conductors?

Answer 3

metals are good conductors because they have delocalised electrons which are free to move

Question 4

are metals malleable?

Answer 4

metals are malleable (can be hammered into shape) because they have layers of ions that can slide over each other