Why do metals have close(r) packing vs other materials.....?

Hi. I understand that metals have closer packing due to the metallic bonding of atoms but I don't get what it is ABOUT metallic bonding that allows for close packing. Please help!

Reply 1

University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Official Rep

Original post by strong-pedestria

Hi. I understand that metals have closer packing due to the metallic bonding of atoms but I don't get what it is ABOUT metallic bonding that allows for close packing. Please help!

Hi @strong-pedestria

In metallic bonding, metal atoms release some of their outer electrons to form a "sea of electrons" that freely move around. This creates a strong electrostatic attraction between the positively charged metal ions (the metal atoms that lost electrons) and the shared electrons. The key factors that allow for close packing in metals are:

Non-directional bonding: Unlike covalent bonds, which are directional, metallic bonds do not have a fixed orientation. This allows atoms to pack closely together in efficient, tightly packed structures like face-centered cubic (FCC) or hexagonal close-packed (HCP) arrangements.

Shared electron cloud: The mobile electron cloud stabilizes the structure, allowing metal ions to be packed closely without repelling each other strongly. The delocalized nature of the electrons allows the metal ions to slide past each other easily, promoting a dense arrangement.

This combination of non-directional bonds and the stabilizing electron cloud enables metals to achieve high packing densities.

I hope this helps.

Ethan (Product Design Engineering)

Reply 2

strong-pedestria

Original post by University of Strathclyde Student Ambassador

Hi @strong-pedestria
In metallic bonding, metal atoms release some of their outer electrons to form a "sea of electrons" that freely move around. This creates a strong electrostatic attraction between the positively charged metal ions (the metal atoms that lost electrons) and the shared electrons. The key factors that allow for close packing in metals are:

This combination of non-directional bonds and the stabilizing electron cloud enables metals to achieve high packing densities.
I hope this helps.
Ethan (Product Design Engineering)

thank you SO much!!!!