General Properties of metals
General Properties of metals All metals have characteristic physical properties: 1. They are exceptionally good conductors of electricity and heat. 2. They have a characteristic metallic lustre - they are bright, shiny and highly reflective. 3. They are malleable and ductile. 4. Their crystal structures are almost always cubic close-packed, hexag-onal close-packed, or body-centred cubic. 5. They form alloys readily. Conductivity All metals are exceptionally good conductors of heat and electricity. Electrical conduction arises by the movement of electrons. This is in contrast to the movement of ions which is responsible for conduction in aqueous solution or fused melts of ionic compounds like sodium chloride, where sodium ions migrate to the cathode, and chloride ions migrate to the anode. In the solid state, ionic compounds may conduct to a very small extent (semiconduction) if defects, are present in the crystal. There is an enormous di...