Lesson 3.5 - Metallic Bonding

Metallic compounds

Metallic compounds (sometimes simply referred to as 'metals') are giant structures.

They are made up of atoms arranged in a regular pattern.

Formation

Metallic bonds are formed when electrons are delocalised.

These delocalised electrons are shared throughout the structure.

Properties

Most metals have the following properties:

• High melting point

• High boiling point

• Stronger when made into an alloy

• Can be bent (malleable)

• Arranged in layers

Representing metallic bonding

We can represent metallic bonding using the image below.

A diagram showing how electrons are delocalised to form a metallic compound

Image source: AQA.