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Chapter 11: Problem 50

Why are metals good conductors of heat and electricity? Why does the ability of a metal to conduct electricity decrease with increasing temperature?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Metals are good conductors of heat and electricity due to their 'sea of electrons' that can easily move and transfer energy across the material. However, as temperature increases, the vibrations of the metallic ions also increase, which scatters the free electrons and hinders their movement, leading to a decrease in electrical conductivity.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Metal Structure

Metals generally consist of a lattice of positively charged ions, surrounded by a 'sea' of free, delocalized electrons. These free electrons are not bound to any specific ion and are free to move throughout the metal lattice.
02

Explain Heat Conduction

When you heat a metal at one end, the kinetic energy of the atoms at that end increases. The vibrating atoms will pass their kinetic energy to the free electrons, which will move through the lattice, transferring the kinetic energy (and therefore the heat) to other parts of the metal.
03

Explain Electrical Conduction

When a voltage is applied across a metal, it creates an electric field within the metal. The free electrons move towards the positive end of the metal under the influence of this field, creating an electric current.
04

Explain Decrease of Conductivity with Temperature

As temperature increases, the metal ions in the lattice vibrate more vehemently. This increased vibration scatters the free electrons and hinders their movement, therefore, the electrical conductivity of the metal decreases.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

As a liquid is heated at constant pressure, its temperature rises. This trend continues until the boiling point of the liquid is reached. No further rise in temperature of the liquid can be induced by heating. Explain.

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Select the substance in each pair that should have the higher boiling point. In each case identify the principal intermolecular forces involved and account briefly for your choice. (a) \(\mathrm{K}_{2} \mathrm{~S}\) or \(\left(\mathrm{CH}_{3}\right)_{3} \mathrm{~N},\) (b) \(\mathrm{Br}_{2}\) or \(\mathrm{CH}_{3} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{2} \mathrm{CH}_{3}\)

Under the same conditions of temperature and density, which of the following gases would you expect to behave less ideally: \(\mathrm{CH}_{4}, \mathrm{SO}_{2} ?\) Explain.
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