Lesson 3 of 6 · Chemical Bonds

Experiment⭐ 30 XP🧪 Potion Kitchen

Metallic Bonding

🧪Lab Brief #3

Chemical Bonds.

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Color changes mean atoms are rearranging — even if you can't see them.

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Mind = Blown

🧪 If you could remove all the empty space from atoms, the entire human race would fit in a sugar cube.

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Make a hypothesis first

Before you mix: what color do you think it'll turn?

What You'll Learn

Metal atoms release their outer electrons into a shared sea that moves freely among positive ions. That delocalised sea explains why metals conduct electricity and heat, and why layers can slide over each other, making metals malleable rather than brittle.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

copper rod
rock salt crystal
wax block
battery
bulb
leads
small mallet

Safety First

Wear eye protection when striking any solid — fragments can fly.
Low-voltage battery only.

Steps

Step 1 — Read

Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.

Step 2 — Do

Compare a metal rod, an ionic solid and a covalent solid for electrical conductivity with a simple circuit, then test each for malleability by tapping with a mallet on a bench block. Tabulate and explain.

Step 3 — Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 — Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 2

Metals conduct electricity because they contain:

How sure are you going to be?😐 maybe

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Where you see this in real life

This is happening in your kitchen right now — every time food cooks.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Find one ingredient in a snack and look up what it does.

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For the dinner table

“What's something we cook that mixes things together this way?”

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Next Smart Experiment

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