Question

Which is a stronger ionic or metallic bond?

Answer 1

Ionic bond:

• It is formed by the electrostatic force of attraction between the positive and negative charged ions.
• Crystalline ionic compounds contain orderly three-dimensional arrangements of cations and anions, held together by Coulombic interactions.
• For example, Sodium chloride is formed an ionic bond by the transfer of electrons from the Sodium atom to the outer shell of Chloride.

Metallic bond:

• It is formed by the combination of metals only.
• It is a mixture of positive nuclei with electrons in their inner shells, together with their valence electrons.
• For example, in Sodium atoms, when an electron occupies the 3s orbital of an atom, it shares its space with an electron on a neighboring atom, resulting in a molecular orbital held together by strong interactions between the positive nuclei and electrons.

Stronger bond: Ionic bond is stronger than a metallic bond because it occurs between the metals and non-metals by an electrostatic force of attraction.

• An ionic bond is formed due to the attraction between the positive and negative ions whereas the metallic bond is formed by the attraction of nuclear and its electrons.
• The melting point of ionic compounds is generally higher than that of metals. For example, the melting point of salt is $800°\mathrm{C}$.
• Metallic bonding refers to the ability to convert metals into ultra-thin sheets or wires. These properties describe the malleability of metals.