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Metallic bonding
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<p>Metallic bonding is a type of <a href="/facts/Chemical_bond/ArNUMnIB">chemical bonding</a> that arises from the electrostatic attractive force between <a href="/facts/Conduction_electrons/2NUALlHJ">conduction electrons</a> (in the form of an electron cloud of <a href="/facts/Delocalized_electron/jsquhECb">delocalized electrons</a>) and positively charged <a href="/facts/Metal/PT8hNX6R">metal</a> <a href="/facts/Ion/3bePpDna">ions</a>. It may be described as the sharing of <i>free</i> electrons among a <a href="/facts/Crystal_structure/bJ4bCeHd">structure</a> of positively charged ions (<a href="/facts/Cation/wrbwhF3z">cations</a>). Metallic bonding accounts for many <a href="/facts/Physical_property/ujcMUceW">physical properties</a> of metals, such as <a href="/facts/Strength_of_materials/CE77cUcB">strength</a>, <a href="/facts/Ductility/SBJsahEk">ductility</a>, <a href="/facts/Thermal_conductivity/qWnSG3nQ">thermal</a> and <a href="/facts/Electrical_resistivity_and_conductivity/akyCKvMy">electrical resistivity and conductivity</a>, <a href="/facts/Opacity_(optics)/l90q0sAV">opacity</a>, and <a href="/facts/Lustre_(mineralogy)/TCobwMGC">lustre</a>. </p><p>Metallic bonding is not the only type of <a href="/facts/Chemical_bond/ArNUMnIB">chemical bonding</a> a metal can exhibit, even as a pure substance. For example, elemental <a href="/facts/Gallium/EucevDs9">gallium</a> consists of <a href="/facts/Covalent_bond/EzMLf3Pz">covalently-bound</a> pairs of atoms in both liquid and solid-state—these pairs form a <a href="/facts/Crystal_structure/bJ4bCeHd">crystal structure</a> with metallic bonding between them. Another example of a metal–metal covalent bond is the <a href="/facts/Mercurous_ion/7fRY9HCR">mercurous ion</a> (Hg2+2). </p>