What is the difference between an ionic lattice and a metallic lattice?

Many elements readily form ions because their electron configurations are more stable if electrons are added or removed, usually in order to ensure that the outermost shell is a full octet. An ionic compound consists of cations and anions in a lattice structure. The most common example of such a compound is NaCl, which consists of Na+ cations and Cl- anions. The ionic lattice structure is held together by the electrostatic forces of attraction between the oppositely charged ions. A metal or metal alloy consists of metal cations and a sea of delocalised electrons. For example a metal atom M may have two electrons in its outer shell, in which case in order to obey the octet rule two electrons will dissociate to form an M2+ ion. In this case the metallic structure will be held together by the attraction between the M2+ ions and the delocalised electrons. In general, the metallic lattice structure is held together by the electrostatic forces of attraction between the metal cations and the delocalised electrons.

AL
Answered by Adam L. Chemistry tutor

24751 Views

See similar Chemistry A Level tutors

Related Chemistry A Level answers

All answers ▸

25cm^3 of 0.1M NaOH is reacted with 0.01M HCl until the equivalence point is reached. What volume of HCl was required to be added?


Describe how you would differentiate a sample of butanal and butan-2-one.


Describe how you would distinguish between separate samples of the two 2 0 4 stereoisomers of CH3CH2CH2CH2CH(OH)CN [2 marks]


What is solvent leveling? How can we distinguish between two strongly acidic solutions? (This is a challenging question and is included for interest only)


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences