Non-Chemical Why is it that melting points change

[Paige]

You alloy gold (melting point 1948) with silver (melting point 17??) and you get something that melts at 1600 or so. That doesn't make sense.

I alloyed silver with lead for casting some bullets (watch those werewolfs) and now the silver in the lead alloy melts at 800 degrees?

Aren't the atoms the same?

We can all guess who.

 

[Harold_V]

As I understand it, it's all to do with the interruption of the lattice structure of the elements involved. The melting point of these alloys is called the eutectic point. You might say they are less tightly bonded together than they would be as individual elements, so it takes less energy (heat) to make them flow. Perhaps this is to do with covalent bonding? What say, GSP?

I stand to be corrected if I have it wrong.

Harold

 

[AuMINIMayhem]

I never understood why either.. thank god for wikipedia though..

check it out.. it's a bit complicated but it explains everything. hope this helps..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutectic_point