# What theory accurately explains metallic bonding in beryllium? Tags: inorganic-chemistry, bond, molecular-orbital-theory, metal - Score: 8 - Views: 1981 - Answers: 1 - Answered: yes - Asked by: Infinite (1674 rep) - Asked: 2022-04-24 - Edited: 2022-04-25 - Site: chemistry ## Question Since beryllium is an alkaline earth metal, the bonds between beryllium atoms could be considered metallic and we can use molecular orbital theory (MOT) to explain metallic bonds in metals. Consider metallic bonding in lithium metal. Say, $n$ lithium atoms combine to form $\ce{Li_n}$. Here $n$ atomic orbitals (AOs) combine to from $n$ molecular orbitals (MOs). Since there is only one valence electron per atom in lithium, and a MO can hold two electrons, only half the MOs are filled. As the result, all bonding molecular orbitals (BMOs) are occupied, and antibonding molecular orbitals (ABMOs) left unfilled. I tried to explain metallic bonding in beryllium metal in a similar way. But the results are weird. This is because all the $n$ MOs (formed after combining $n$ beryllium atoms) get completely filled with electrons. As there are equal number of electrons in BMOs and ABMOs, this type of bonding is