Question

The ability to conduct electricity in the solid state is a characteristic of metallic bonding. This characteristic is best explained by the presence of________.

Answer 1

Answer:

The ability to conduct electricity in the solid state is a characteristic of metallic bonding. This characteristic is best explained by the presence of cations

Explanation:

First of all we should know what are the valence electrons. These are the ones that are  involved in the formation of chemical bonds  (for representative elements, blocks s and p)

A cation is an atom which has lost an electron (+ charge).

The metalic atoms lose all the valence electrons, as these atoms remain charged, that is why they are capable of conducting electricity.

For example:

K (s) →  K⁺  +  1e⁻

In the opposite side, the anions are formed when the non metallic elements win electrons to complete the octet rule.