Knowra Metal Metal A metal is an element or material that typically conducts heat and electricity and can deform without breaking. Metals are often lustrous and form positive ions, though exceptions exist.
Metallic bonding : Chemical bonding in which delocalized electrons hold together positively charged metal atoms or ions. Its mobile electrons and shared attraction account for many characteristic metal properties.
Electrical conductivity : A material’s ability to carry electric current under an applied electric field. Mobile electrons make metals effective conductors, though conductivity varies widely among them.
Steel : An iron-based alloy whose carbon content and processing determine its properties. Steel combines strength, formability, and affordability for buildings, machines, and infrastructure.
Nonmetal : A chemical element that generally lacks the characteristic metallic properties of conductivity, luster, and malleability. Nonmetals provide the clearest chemical and materials contrast to metals.
Native metal : A metal found in nature in an uncombined form rather than as a chemical compound. Naturally occurring copper and gold could be worked before reliable ore smelting developed.
Crystal structure : The repeating three-dimensional arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline solid. Atomic packing shapes how a metal deforms and how defects move through it.
Thermal conductivity : A material’s ability to transfer heat through its interior. In many metals, electrons transport thermal energy as well as electric charge.
Aluminum : A lightweight, corrosion-resistant metallic element with high electrical and thermal conductivity. Its low density makes it valuable where reducing structural weight matters.
Metalloid : An element with a mixture of metallic and nonmetallic properties. Metalloids such as silicon complicate any sharp division based on conductivity alone.
Smelting : The extraction of a metal from its ore by heating and chemical reduction. Smelting made abundant metal-bearing ores usable as sources of workable material.
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