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Metallic Solids

Metallic Solids

Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability. Many...

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

Lattice Centering and Coordination Number

The structure of a crystalline solid, whether a metal or not, is best described by considering its simplest repeating unit, which is referred to as its unit cell. The unit cell consists of lattice points that represent the locations of atoms or ions. The entire structure then consists of this unit cell repeating in three dimensions. The three different types of unit cells present in the cubic lattice are illustrated in Figure 1.
Types of Unit Cells
Imagine taking a large number of identical...

Coordination Number and Geometry

Coordination Number and Geometry

For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes

Crystal Field Theory
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...

Valence Bond Theory

Valence Bond Theory

Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...

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Related Experiment Video

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Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance

Surface Functionalization of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Improved Moisture Resistance

Published on: September 5, 2018

Noncovalent copper oxide framework on Cu(111) with open honeycomb structure.

Sijia Yue¹, Yini He², Pu Yang^1,3

¹College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.

The Journal of Chemical Physics

|May 8, 2026

Summary

Researchers visualized a noncovalent copper oxide film on copper(111) using atomic force microscopy. This ordered open honeycomb (OHC) framework, built from Cu3O2 blocks, offers insights into copper oxidation under low oxygen conditions.

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Area of Science:

Surface Science
Materials Science
Nanotechnology

Background:

Copper oxidation is crucial for applications in catalysis, electronics, and corrosion protection.
Mechanisms of copper oxidation under low oxygen partial pressures are not fully understood.
Existing research primarily focuses on covalent copper oxide films.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the atomic structure and formation mechanism of noncovalent copper oxide films on Cu(111) under low oxygen conditions.
To investigate the self-assembly process and structural properties of the oxide network.
To compare the properties of the noncovalent oxide with covalent copper oxide films.

Main Methods:

Direct atomic visualization using qPlus-based noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM).
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) simulations.
Force curve analysis.

Main Results:

A noncovalent copper oxide film with an ordered open honeycomb (OHC) framework was directly visualized on Cu(111).
The OHC framework is self-assembled from Cu3O2 building blocks through noncovalent interactions.
Force curve analysis confirmed the presence of both upper and lower-layer oxygen atoms within the Cu3O2 units.
The OHC framework exhibits electronic structures and phase transition behaviors similar to covalent copper oxide films.

Conclusions:

This study provides unprecedented atomic-level insights into copper oxidation under low oxygen environments.
The findings reveal a novel noncovalent oxide structure (OHC framework) on Cu(111).
The research enriches the understanding of surface oxides on Cu(111) and their phase diagrams.