Bonding in the Zinc Family Metals

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Abstract
Attention is directed to the very large departures of the structures of the zinc family (IIb) metals from those produced by the close packing of spheres. This seems to indicate that cohesion in these metals differs considerably from the normal nondirectional metallic bonding. It is proposed that there is a system of covalent bonds in the basal plane resulting from bonding orbitals which are hybrids of one of the d and two of the p atomic orbitals. These absorb some of the s electrons and leave only 1.33 electrons/atom in the s band. Support for the proposed bonding scheme is provided by showing that with it one can account for many otherwise puzzling properties of the IIb metals and their alloys. The properties which are discussed in terms of the proposed scheme are (1) the abnormally large axial ratios in zinc and cadmium, (2) the effect of temperature on the axial ratios of these metals and the alloys of magnesium and cadmium, (3) the effect of alloying on the axial ratio, (4) the dependence of the axial ratio on the degree of order in MgCd3, (5) the great abundance of Schottky defects in certain magnesium‐cadmium alloys, (6) the asymmetry of the heats of alloying of magnesium and cadmium, (7) the structure of solid mercury, (8) electrical conductivities of the solids, (9) the positive Hall coefficient for zinc and cadmium, (10) the poor solvent power of these metals as solids, and (11) certain unusual features of the electrical conductivities of the liquid metals and the dilute amalgams.

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