Metallic Bonding (Oxford AQA IGCSE Combined Science Double Award)

What is Metallic Bonding?

• Metals consist of giant structures of atoms arranged in a regular pattern 

Extension Tier Only

• Within the metal lattice, the atoms lose their outer electrons and become positively charged metal ions

  • The outer electrons no longer belong to any specific metal atom and are said to be delocalised

  • This means they can move freely between the positive metal ions and act like a “sea of electrons”

• The metallic bond is the strong force of attraction between the positive metal ions and the delocalised electrons

• This type of bonding occurs in metals and metal alloys, which are mixtures of metal

Diagram showing the ways of representing a metal lattice structure with delocalised electrons