Why do metals have high melting and boiling points?

Why do metals have high melting and boiling points?

• A. Ionic bonds.
• B. Strong metallic bonds formed by the attraction between metal ions and delocalised electrons.
• C. Covalent bonds.
• D. Hydrogen bonds.

Answer: (B)

Metallic bonding gives metals their high melting and boiling points. In a metal, atoms release some electrons to form a lattice of positively charged ions surrounded by a sea of delocalized electrons. These electrons are free to move and are attracted to many ions at once, creating a strong, non-directional bond that holds the whole structure together. To melt or boil the metal, you must supply enough energy to overcome many of these attractions at once, which is why metals require such high temperatures. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between fixed ions in compounds, and covalent bonds involve specific, directional bonds between atoms, while hydrogen bonds are far weaker; none of these explain the bulk strength of a metal’s lattice in the way metallic bonding does.

Metallic bonding gives metals their high melting and boiling points. In a metal, atoms release some electrons to form a lattice of positively charged ions surrounded by a sea of delocalized electrons. These electrons are free to move and are attracted to many ions at once, creating a strong, non-directional bond that holds the whole structure together. To melt or boil the metal, you must supply enough energy to overcome many of these attractions at once, which is why metals require such high temperatures. Ionic bonds are electrostatic attractions between fixed ions in compounds, and covalent bonds involve specific, directional bonds between atoms, while hydrogen bonds are far weaker; none of these explain the bulk strength of a metal’s lattice in the way metallic bonding does.