The electrons in the outer energy levels of a metal are mobile and capable of drifting from one metal atom to another. A metallic bond is the attraction of the stationary metal cations to the surround...The electrons in the outer energy levels of a metal are mobile and capable of drifting from one metal atom to another. A metallic bond is the attraction of the stationary metal cations to the surrounding mobile electrons. When light is shone onto the surface of a metal, its electrons absorb small amounts of energy and become excited into one of its many empty orbitals.
