• Alloys are?mixtures of metals, where the metals are mixed together physically but are not chemically combined
• They can also be made from metals mixed with nonmetals such as carbon
• Ions of the different metals are spread throughout the?lattice?and are bound together by the?delocalized?electrons
• It is possible to form alloys because of the?non-directional?nature of the metallic bonds

In a metallic lattice the regular structure of metal cations (shown by Element Y) is disrupted by the presence of another element (Element X)

• Alloys have distinct properties due to the different packing of the cations in the lattice
• Alloys often have?properties that can be very?different?to the metals they contain, for example they can have greater?strength, hardness?or?resistance?to?corrosion?or extreme?temperatures
• Alloys contain atoms of?different?sizes, which?distorts?the regular arrangements of cations
• This makes it more difficult for the layers to slide over each other, so they are usually much harder than the pure metal
• Below is a table of some common alloys and their uses:

Common Alloys and their Uses Table