Charge Motion in Metals

Written by Will Rountree

Mobile Electron Sea

Metals, like all matter, are made of atoms. These atoms consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. The majority of metals have few electrons in the outer orbitals, and these valence electrons aren't tightly bound to the nucleus. As a result they are "free" and able to move through the material. The electrons aren't shared or transferred between atoms; they are available to all nuclei in the metal. Often there is only one free electron per atom, but that is all it takes to create a "sea" of electrons surrounding the atoms. Due to every atom lacking a negatively charged electron, the atoms are positively charged and remain bound together by the "sea."

References

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/conins.html#c1