Table 1 Examples of Materials and Their Bonds

BONDING DOE-HDBK-1017/1-93 Structure of Metals c. Metallic bond - In this type of bond, the atoms do not share or exchange electrons to bond together. Instead, many electrons (roughly one for each atom) are more or less free to move throughout the metal, so that each electron can interact with many of the fixed atoms. d. Molecular bond - When the electrons of neutral atoms spend more time in one region of their orbit, a temporary weak charge will exist. The molecule will weakly attract other molecules. This is sometimes called the van der Waals or molecular bonds. e. Hydrogen bond - This bond is similar to the molecular bond and occurs due to the ease with which hydrogen atoms are willing to give up an electron to atoms of oxygen, fluorine, or nitrogen. Some examples of materials and their bonds are identified in Table 1. Material Bond Sodium chloride Ionic Diamond Covalent Sodium Metallic Solid H₂ Molecular Ice Hydrogen The type of bond not only determines how well a material is held together, but also determines what microscopic properties the material possesses. Properties such as the ability to conduct heat or electrical current are determined by the freedom of movement of electrons. This is dependent on the type of bonding present. Knowledge of the microscopic structure of a material allows us to predict how that material will behave under certain conditions. Conversely, a material may be synthetically fabricated with a given microscopic structure to yield properties desirable for certain engineering applications. MS-01 Page 2 Rev. 0