Why does zinc melt?

Answer 1

Zinc melts because its atoms absorb heat. "Heat" is really just an increase in the average velocity of the atoms in a substance. The atoms in something hot are moving faster on average than the atoms of something cold. Zinc is in the solid state which means that its atoms stay mostly in one place and vibrate around. As a sample of zinc is heated the atoms vibrate faster and faster until they break the bonds that hold them in one place and begin to slip and slide across each other. When the atoms are no longer bound to one place and slip across each other, the substance is called a liquid. The property of absorbing heat and changing in physical state from a solid to a liquid is not unique to zinc. The same process applies to nearly all substances such as water, iron, and plastic.

Answer 2

Zinc melts because, like all materials, its atoms are held together by intermolecular forces. When heat is applied to zinc, these forces weaken and the atoms can move more freely, eventually resulting in the solid zinc turning into a liquid state.

Answer 3

Copper has a high melting point because of its strong metallic bonds. the bonds between those atoms are very hard to break. A lot of energy is needed to separate them.

Answer 4

The melting point of any material depends on the heat of fusion which is different for each material.

The melting point of zinc is 907 0C.