Question Video: Identifying the Dominant Force of Attraction in a Giant Metallic Lattice Chemistry • 7th Grade

Video Transcript

In metallic bonding, what is the dominant form of attraction between the lattice of positive ions and the sea of delocalized electrons?

Metals are made up of relatively immobile cations and highly mobile delocalized electrons. As these electric charges are opposite, they attract each other. This attractive electric force is known as the electrostatic force. And in fact, metallic bonding can be defined as the strong electrostatic attraction that exists between positively charged metal cations and delocalized electrons.

So, the electrostatic attraction between the oppositely charged particles is the dominant form of attraction in a giant metallic lattice structure. Therefore, the answer to the question “In metallic bonding, what is the dominant form of attraction between the lattice of positive ions and the sea of delocalized electrons?” is electrostatic.