Question 33

Metals generally melt at very high temperatures, Among the following which one has the highest melting point?

Silver is a transition metal. Transition metals generally have high melting points because their atomic structure allows for strong metallic bonding. They have a large number of delocalized electrons (from both s and d orbitals) that act like a strong "glue" holding the crystal lattice together. Breaking these strong bonds requires a significant amount of heat energy.

In contrast, the other three options are famous exceptions in the metal family due to their unusually weak metallic bonds:

  • Mercury (Hg) is a liquid at room temperature.
  • Gallium (Ga) and Cesium (Cs) have such low melting points that they will actually melt from the ambient heat of your hand.

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