Metal A metal is an element which has the physical properties of having a lustrous appearance, being malleable, being tenacity, having high densities, and being good conductors of heat and being good conductors of electricity. Metals react with oxygen to form basic oxides. Metals react with halogens to form halogen compounds which are stable in presence of water. Metals are electro-positive elements and form complex salts. Many metallic chlorides liberate chlorine when treated with sulphuric acid and manganese dioxide.
Many metallic chlorides liberate hydrogen chloride gas when warmed with concentrated sulphuric acid.
The atoms in a metal are arranged in an orderly manner. Because metals have low ionisation potential, they can easily lose their outermost electrons, which are then free to travel in a cloud between all the atoms of the metal. The electrostatic attractive force between the positively charged ionised atoms of the metal and the negatively charged electronic cloud is responsible for the bonding in the metal. The metallic bond is very strong and accounts for the mechanical strength of metals. The metallic bond accounts for the physical and chemical properties of metals.