What does it mean that valence electrons in a metal are delocalized?

a. The valence electrons move between atoms in shared orbitals.

b. The valence electrons move from outer orbitals to inner orbitals of each atom.

c. The valence electrons move from inner orbitals to outer orbitals of each atom.

d. The valence electrons move out of the orbitals and go into the air.

Question

Bryan Maynard

Chemistry

1 February, 19:24

What does it mean that valence electrons in a metal are delocalized?

a. The valence electrons move between atoms in shared orbitals.

b. The valence electrons move from outer orbitals to inner orbitals of each atom.

c. The valence electrons move from inner orbitals to outer orbitals of each atom.

d. The valence electrons move out of the orbitals and go into the air.

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Answers (1)

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Milton Haas · Answer 1

The correct answer is A, the valence electrons move between atoms in shared orbitals. The result of millions of metal atoms crowding together so that molecular orbitals become combined most likely is the formation of localized valence electrons where the electrons are called the "electron sea". This is a characteristic of compounds that are held together by metallic bonding.