Metallic Bonding — Sea of Electrons

Part of Metallic Bonding · Section 1 of 12

DiagramUnit: Bonding & StructureGCSE

This diagram covers Metallic Bonding — Sea of Electrons within Metallic Bonding for GCSE Chemistry. Revise Metallic Bonding in Bonding & Structure for GCSE Chemistry with 22 exam-style questions and 21 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 1 of 12 in this topic. Focus on the labels, the relationships between parts, and the explanation that turns the diagram into an exam-ready answer.

🔬 Metallic Bonding — Sea of Electrons

Metallic bonding showing a regular lattice of positive metal ions surrounded by a sea of delocalised electrons (shown as small blue dots moving freely between the ions)

Figure 1: The sea of electrons model — positive metal ions (gold/amber) arranged in a regular lattice, surrounded by delocalised electrons (blue) that move freely throughout.

Practice questions for Metallic Bonding

In metallic bonding, what are the electrons called that are free to move throughout the metal structure?

  • A. Shared electrons
  • B. Transferred electrons
  • C. Delocalised electrons
  • D. Fixed electrons
1 markfoundation

Explain why metals are malleable.

2 marksstandard

Quick recall flashcards

What is metallic bonding?
Electrostatic attraction between positive metal ions and a sea of delocalised electrons
What are delocalised electrons?
Electrons that are free to move throughout the metal structure (not attached to one atom)

22 questions on Metallic Bonding — practise free

Instant marking, adaptive difficulty and spaced-repetition flashcards — all aligned to your exam board.

Start revising free →