The image and description below summarizes the properties of metals.

Metallic Bonding

Source: Metallic Bonding, Univeristy of Wisconsin, Green Bay

1. Outermost electrons wander freely through metal. Metal consists of cations held together by negatively-charged electron "glue."
2. Free electrons can move rapidly in response to electric fields, hence metals are a good conductor of electricity.
3. Free electrons can transmit kinetic energy rapidly, hence metals are good conductors of heat.
4. The layers of atoms in metal are hard to pull apart because of the electrons holding them together, hence metals are tough. But individual atoms are not held to any other specific atoms, hence atoms slip easily past one another. Thus metals are ductile and malleable.

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