Metallic bondingEdexcel International A Level Chemistry: Flashcards

What these 12 flashcards ask

What is the structure of a metal?
Define metallic bonding.
What are delocalised electrons?
Why do metals conduct electricity?
Do metals conduct in the solid state?
Why do metals have high melting temperatures?
Which particles carry the current in a metal?
How many delocalised electrons does each aluminium atom contribute?
Why is the melting temperature of magnesium higher than that of sodium?
Why does melting temperature fall down Group 1?
Why can metals be hammered into shape?
What is still present when a metal melts?

Exam questions on Metallic bonding

A student connects a strip of magnesium ribbon and, separately, a lump of solid sulfur into a simple circuit containing a lamp and a 6 V battery. The lamp lights when the magnesium is in the circuit but stays off when the sulfur is in the circuit.
Explain why magnesium conducts electricity but sulfur does not.2 marks
Copper is hammered into sheets for roofing and drawn into thin wires for cables. Pure copper melts at 1085 °C, and a molten sample of copper can be poured and cast into moulds.
Explain, in terms of its bonding, why copper can be hammered into sheets without breaking.2 marks
Aluminium is used for overhead power cables because it has a low density and conducts electricity well. A cable is made from solid aluminium, which melts at 660 °C.
Describe the structure of, and bonding in, solid aluminium.3 marks

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).