Asked by julie

Which reason best explains why metals are malleable?
because they have delocalized electrons
because they have localized electrons
because they have ionic bonds
because they have rigid bonds

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Because they have delocalized electrons.

In metallic bonding the valence electrons are free to move (delocalized) and form a non‑directional "electron sea" that holds metal cations together. This lets layers of atoms slide past one another without breaking the bonding, so metals are malleable.