Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms Figure 1 . The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties. All exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many are very hard and quite strong. Because of their malleability (the ability to deform under pressure or hammering), they do not shatter and, therefore, make useful construction materials. The melting points of the metals vary widely. Mercury is a liquid at room temperature, and the alkali metals melt below 200 °C. Several post-transition metals also have low melting points, whereas the transition metals melt at temperatures above 1000 °C. These differences reflect differences in strengths of metallic bonding among the metals.

Figure 1 : Copper is a metallic solid.

مواضيع ذات صلة

Crystal Defects

Properties of Solids

Molecular Solids

Covalent Network Solids

Ionic Solids

The Fundamental Types of Crystalline Solids

Interstitial Void Spaces

The FCC unit cell

The cubic close-packed structure

The Hexagonal closed-packed structure

Two choices for the third layer lead to two different close-packed lattice types

Close-packed lattices in three dimensions