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Chapter 6: Metals and Alloys - Structure, Bonding, Electronic and Magnetic Properties

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    34741
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    In the chemistry of molecular compounds, we are accustomed to the idea that properties depend strongly on structure. For example we can rationalize the polarity of the water molecule based on its shape. We also know that two molecules with the same composition (e.g., ethanol and dimethyl ether) have very different properties based on the bonding arrangements of atoms. It should come as no surprise that the properties of extended solids are also connected to their structures, and so to understand what they do we should begin with their crystal structures. Most of the metals in the periodic table have relatively simple structures and so this is a good place to begin. We will see in Chapter 8 that the structures of more complex compounds are also in many cases related to the simple structures of metals and alloys.

    Learning goals for Chapter 6:

    • Identify and assign unit cells, coordination numbers, asymmetric units, numbers of atoms contained within a unit cell, and the fraction of space filled in a given structure.
    • Relate molecular orbital theory to the delocalization of valence electrons in metals.
    • Understand the concepts of electron wavelength and density of states.
    • Understand the consequences of the nearly free electron model for the band structure of metals and their conductivity.
    • Explain why some metals are magnetic and others are diamagnetic, and how these phenomena relate to bonding and orbital overlap.
    • Use the Curie-Weiss law to explain the temperature dependence of magnetic ordering.
    • Acquire a physical picture of different kinds of magnetic ordering and the magnetic hysteresis loops of ferro- and ferrimagnets.


    Chapter 6: Metals and Alloys - Structure, Bonding, Electronic and Magnetic Properties is shared under a CC BY-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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