Metallic bonding

Let us learn about "metallic bonding"

Metals tend to have high melting points and boiling points suggesting strong bonds between the atoms. Even a metal like sodium (melting point 97.8°C) melts at a considerably higher temperature than the element (neon) which precedes it in the Periodic Table.

Sodium has the electronic structure 1s²2s²2p⁶3s¹. When sodium atoms come together, the electron in the 3s atomic orbital of one sodium atom shares space with the corresponding electron on a neighbouring atom to form a molecular orbital - in much the same sort of way that a covalent bond is formed.

The force that binds together the atoms of metals is called metallic bond. The properties of metals cannot be explained in terms of common types of bonds such as ionic and covalent bonds. The inadequacy of these two type of bonds for metal formation can be explained as under.

The atoms of metals are all alike therefore they cannot form ionic bonds. Moreover, ionic compounds do not conduct electricity in the solid state and ionic compounds are brittle as opposed to properties of metals. The atom of metallic elements contain only 1 to 3 valence electrons, therefore these atoms cannot form covalent bonds, with noble gas configurations as they will remain incomplete. Covalent compounds are bad conductors of electricity and are generally liquids; properties opposed to metal formations. Thus, metals have a different model of bonding.

Thus Metallic bonding is the electromagnetic interaction between delocalized electrons, called conduction electrons and gathered in an "electron sea", and the metallic nuclei within metals.

In our next blog we shall learn about periodic table with charges

I hope the above explanation was useful.Keep reading and leave your comments.