There is a large temperature interval between the melting point and the boiling point of a metal because?
Answer Details
The large temperature interval between the melting point and boiling point of a metal is due to the fact that melting and boiling involve very different types of energy transfer.
Melting is the process by which a solid substance is heated and transformed into a liquid. In order to melt a metal, heat energy must be added to break the metallic bonds between the atoms that hold the metal in a rigid, crystalline structure. The temperature at which this occurs is called the melting point.
Boiling, on the other hand, is the process by which a liquid substance is heated and transformed into a gas. In order to boil a liquid metal, heat energy must be added to break the intermolecular forces between the atoms or molecules that hold the liquid together. The temperature at which this occurs is called the boiling point.
Metals have a large temperature interval between their melting and boiling points because the metallic bonds that hold the atoms together in a solid are much stronger than the intermolecular forces that hold a liquid metal together. This means that it takes much more energy to break the metallic bonds and melt the metal than it does to break the intermolecular forces and boil the liquid metal.
Therefore, option C is the correct answer: melting does not break the metallic bond but boiling does.