Bonding, Structure and Properties of matter

• Why do most metals have high melting points?


  Metals are held together by strong metallic bonds, which require a lot of energy to break.

  It's these bonds that are broken when metals melt, so most metals have high melting points.
• Why can most metals be easily bent/shaped?


  The atoms in a metal are arranged in layers which can slide over each other, so metals can be bent or shaped without breaking the structures of the metal
• Explain how the structure of copper allows it to conduct electricity

  Copper has a giant metallic structure made up of metal ions and delocalised electrons.

  The delocalised electrons can move around the structure and carry a charge.
• Describe how the structure of bronze makes it harder than pure copper


  Bronze contains atoms of two different sizes

  The tin atoms distort the layers of copper atoms which makes it harder for the layers to slide over each other, so bronze is harder than pure copper
• Why do metal benches feel colder to sit on than wooden ones even though they are all the same temperature?

  Metals are a good conductor of heat

  So when you sit on the metal benches, the heat is being moved away from the body much quicker than when sitting on wooden benches

  This makes the metal bench feel cooler