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Metals conduct both heat and electricity using delocalised electrons that can move freely throughout the structure. Free GCSE Chemistry notes and 12 FAQs.
Why Metals Conduct Electricity and Heat is part of How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances in GCSE Edexcel Higher Chemistry.
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Metals conduct both heat and electricity using delocalised electrons that can move freely throughout the structure. Free GCSE Chemistry notes and 12 FAQs.
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Use this lesson to stay inside How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances while connecting the detail back to the wider Topic 1: Key concepts in chemistry topic.
Read the core explanations from Why Metals Conduct Electricity and Heat before testing yourself from memory.
Touch a metal spoon, then touch a wooden spoon. The metal feels colder, even at room temperature. Put both spoons in hot water for a minute, then touch them again. The metal spoon burns your fingers while the wood stays cool. Why?
The answer lies in something you can't see - tiny particles called electrons that behave completely differently in metals compared to other materials. These electrons are the key to understanding why metals conduct electricity and heat so well.
Picture a metal like a football stadium packed with fans. The seats are the metal atoms (now positive ions because they've lost electrons). But instead of fans staying in their seats, imagine they can move freely around the entire stadium. These 'mobile fans' are the delocalised electrons.
In non-metals like wood or plastic, electrons are stuck to their atoms like fans glued to their seats. They can't move around. This is why non-metals don't conduct electricity - there are no mobile charge carriers.
Electric current is the flow of electric charge. In metals, this charge is carried by the delocalised electrons. When you connect a metal wire to a battery, you create an electric field that pushes these mobile electrons through the wire.
Think of it like water flowing through a pipe. The delocalised electrons are like water molecules - they can flow freely when pushed. In non-metals, it's like trying to push water through a solid block - the electrons can't move, so no current flows.
Worked example: How Current Flows Through a Metal Wire
Explain what happens when a copper wire is connected to a 1.5V battery
Answer: The delocalised electrons in copper can move freely, allowing current to flow when pushed by the battery's electric field
Heat is energy. When you heat one end of a metal spoon, that energy needs to travel to the other end. In metals, the same delocalised electrons that conduct electricity also conduct thermal energy.
Here's how it works: when you heat metal, the delocalised electrons gain kinetic energy (they move faster). These energetic electrons then collide with other electrons and metal ions, transferring energy throughout the metal structure.
In non-metals like wood, electrons can't move freely. Heat has to travel by much slower vibrations passing from atom to atom. That's why the wooden spoon handle stays cool while the metal spoon gets hot.
Not all materials conduct equally well. Metals are excellent conductors, but some are better than others. Silver is the best conductor, followed by copper, then aluminium. The more delocalised electrons available, the better the conductivity.
Non-metals like rubber, wood, and plastic are insulators - they don't conduct electricity or heat well because their electrons are localised (stuck to specific atoms). This is why electrical wires have plastic coating and saucepan handles are often made of wood or plastic.
Exam questions on this topic often ask you to explain WHY metals conduct. The key is mentioning delocalised electrons and linking them to the property being asked about.
Common exam mistake: saying 'metals conduct because they have electrons'. ALL materials have electrons! The key word is 'delocalised' - electrons that can move freely throughout the structure.
Exam precision note: In Why Metals Conduct Electricity and Heat - Metals as conductors - How bonding and structure are related to the properties of substances, always identify the key chemical idea first, then link it to evidence, data, or an equation. A high-scoring GCSE answer names the particles involved, states what changes, and justifies the conclusion using correct scientific language. Where calculations are used, show each step with units and keep significant figures sensible. Finally, check that terminology matches AQA wording so your answer is unambiguous and mark-scheme friendly.
Metals conduct heat for a similar reason to electrical conduction. The delocalised electrons can transfer kinetic energy quickly through the lattice, while the closely packed positive ions also pass on vibrations efficiently. That is why metals are good thermal conductors as well as electrical conductors.
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Move to the related lessons or back to the topic page when you need the wider sequence before exam-style practice.
Metals are good conductors of electricity because they have delocalised electrons that are not bound to specific atoms and can move freely throughout the structure. When connected to a battery, these mobile electrons are pushed through the wire, forming an electric current.
Silver is the best conductor, followed by copper, then aluminium. The more delocalised electrons available, the better the conductivity.
Metals conduct heat because when one part is heated, the delocalised electrons gain kinetic energy and move faster. These energetic electrons collide with other electrons and metal ions, transferring energy quickly through the metal structure.
Metals conduct both heat and electricity using delocalised electrons that can move freely throughout the structure. For electricity, these electrons carry charge when pushed by an electric field; for heat, they carry kinetic energy from hot regions to cold regions.
A metal spoon feels colder than a wooden spoon at room temperature because metals are good thermal conductors. Their delocalised electrons transfer energy quickly, while in wood the electrons cannot move freely.
Metals conduct heat well because their delocalised electrons gain kinetic energy when heated and move faster, colliding with other electrons and metal ions to transfer energy through the metal. The closely packed positive ions also pass on vibrations efficiently.
Metals conduct electricity because they have delocalised electrons that can move freely throughout the structure and carry charge. Saying metals conduct because they have electrons is a common mistake, since all materials have electrons; the key word is delocalised.
Copper is a good conductor of electricity because its delocalised electrons can move freely. When a copper wire is connected to a battery, the electric field pushes these electrons towards the positive terminal, so current flows through the wire.
Saucepan handles are often made of wood or plastic because these are insulators: their electrons are localised, stuck to specific atoms, so they do not conduct heat well. For the same reason, electrical wires have a plastic coating.
Non-metals like wood and plastic do not conduct electricity because their electrons are localised, stuck to specific atoms, so there are no mobile charge carriers. Heat also travels more slowly through them, by vibrations passing from atom to atom.
A metal spoon gets hot faster because its delocalised electrons transfer thermal energy quickly through the metal. In wood, electrons cannot move freely, so heat has to travel by much slower vibrations passing from atom to atom, and the wooden handle stays cool.
Metals conduct electricity so well because they have a sea of delocalised electrons that flow freely when pushed, like water through a pipe. The more delocalised electrons available, the better the conductivity, which is why silver is best, followed by copper, then aluminium.