What type of bond is present between two atoms of zinc in a nickel? (For these questions, recommend consulting your periodic table and, when appropriate, drawing Lewis structures to help you answer them) Metallic bond Ionic bond Covalent triple bond Covalent double bond Covalent single bond
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is metallic bond.
Zinc, like most metals, forms metallic bonds when atoms come together in a metallic structure. A metallic bond occurs when electrons are not shared or transferred between individual atoms, as seen in covalent or ionic bonds. Instead, the atoms in a metal lattice pool their valence electrons into a shared “electron sea.” This electron sea is free to move throughout the lattice, allowing metals like zinc to conduct electricity and heat efficiently.
In the case of zinc, each zinc atom has two electrons in its outer shell. When multiple zinc atoms come together in a metallic structure, their outer electrons are delocalized and free to move around the entire structure. This creates a strong bond between the atoms, but the electrons are not attached to any particular atom. This is what forms the “electron sea” that holds the metal atoms together.
The strength of a metallic bond depends on factors like the number of valence electrons and the size of the metal atoms. In zinc’s case, the metal has a relatively moderate number of valence electrons (2), and the size of its atoms is such that the metallic bonding is strong enough to maintain zinc’s solid state at room temperature.
It’s worth noting that metallic bonding is different from ionic bonding, which occurs when electrons are completely transferred from one atom to another, or from covalent bonding, where electrons are shared between atoms. For zinc in a nickel, metallic bonding is the correct choice because both elements in the alloy (nickel and zinc) form metallic bonds, where they share a common “sea” of electrons.
