Question

What are metallic compounds and why are they conductive?

Answer 1

Hint: Cations are formed when metal atoms lose their electrons. The ions are surrounded by delocalized electrons. The metallic solid is held together by metallic bonds (electrostatic interactions between the ions and the electron cloud). Atoms are organised in a sphere-like pattern. Metals exhibit electrical and thermal conductivity because their outer electrons are delocalized and extremely mobile. The free electron model may be used to determine electrical conductivity and the contribution of electrons to metal heat capacity and heat conductivity. Metals are ductile, meaning they can flex in a plastic manner.

Complete answer:
Atoms quickly shed electrons in a metal to generate positive ions (cations). The conductivity of these ions is due to delocalized electrons around them. Electrostatic interactions between the ions and the electron cloud hold the solid together. Metallic bonds are the name for these interactions. Many physical characteristics of metals, such as strength, malleability, ductility, thermal and electrical conductivity, opacity, and brilliance, are determined by metallic bonding. A material must include charged particles (charge carriers) that are sufficiently mobile to move in response to an applied electric field in order to conduct electricity. The ions themselves perform this role in ionic compounds in water solutions. When ionic substances are melted, the same phenomenon happens. Ionic solids have the same charge carriers as ionic liquids, but they are insulators because they are set in situ. The charge carriers in metals are electrons, which flow freely across the lattice and make metals extremely conductive. Electrons can conduct high-frequency alternating currents because of their low mass and inertia, while electrolytic solutions cannot. The free electron model, which ignores the precise structure of the ion lattice, may be used to determine electrical conductivity as well as the contribution of electrons to the heat capacity and heat conductivity of metals.

Note:
Metal atoms, or layers of them, can slide past one other due to the flexibility of electrons to move. After a deformation, bonds can readily be disrupted and replaced by new ones locally. This mechanism has little effect on communal metallic bonding, which is what gives metals their malleability and ductility. This is especially true in the case of pure elements. The typically easily produced cleavages may be prevented in the presence of dissolved contaminants, making the material tougher. Because gold in its pure form (24-karat) is exceedingly soft, alloys are favoured in jewellery.