Cambridge O Level Chemistry · Syllabus 5070 · Atoms, Elements and Compounds
Giant metallic lattice
What is Giant metallic lattice?
The structure of a metal: a regular three-dimensional arrangement of positive metal ions with delocalised electrons moving freely between them. Because the electrons are mobile, a metal conducts electricity in the solid state, and because layers of ions can slide over one another while the attraction to the electrons is maintained, a metal can be hammered into shape or drawn into a wire without shattering.
This definition is part of the Atoms, Elements and Compounds chapter in Cambridge O Level Chemistry.
Giant metallic lattice in context
An atom is the smallest particle of an element, made of a central nucleus containing protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons arranged in shells. Chapter 2 of Cambridge O Level Chemistry 5070 builds everything on this structure: the proton number fixes which element an atom is, the electronic configuration (for example 2,8,3) fixes how its outer electrons behave, and what those outer electrons do — transfer, share or delocalise — decides whether a substance forms a giant ionic lattice, simple molecules, a giant covalent structure or a giant metallic lattice. Each structure in turn explains the melting point, the electrical conductivity and the uses of the substance.