Electrical Conductivity and Metals

Question 1

what charge do electrons have?

Answer 1

negative

Question 2

what charge do ions have?

Answer 2

a negative or a positive charge

Question 3

what is electric current?

Answer 3

the flow of the electrons or ions

Question 4

ionic compound properties

Answer 4

• ionic compounds are made of a lattice of positive and negative ions
• solid ionic compounds don’t conduct electricity because the ions aren’t able to move around
• when an ionic compound is dissolved the ions separate and are able to move in the solution - this means that the compound will conduct electricity
• when an ionic compound melts, the ions are also able to move so the compound can conduct electricity

Question 5

metal structure

Answer 5

metals have a giant structure of positive ions surrounded by a sea of delocalised electrons

Question 6

metallic bonding definition

Answer 6

the electrostatic attraction between the positive metal ions and the negative delocalised electrons

Question 7

why can metals conduct electricity and heat?

Answer 7

• the delocalised electrons are able to move through the structure and this means the metals can conduct electricity
• the movement of electrons also means energy can be transferred quickly through the material, so metals are good conductors of heat

Question 8

why are metals malleable?

Answer 8

the layers of ions in a metal can slide over each other, making metals malleable and this means that they can be hammered or rolled into flat sheets