Why Are Some Metals More Conductive than Others?

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Rafferty</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">John P. Rafferty writes about Earth processes and the environment. He serves currently as the editor of Earth and life sciences, covering climatology, geology, zoology, and other topics that relate to...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> John P. Rafferty</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div></div> </div> <article class="topic-content content mt-20"><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="1" data-descid="1"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/231306-050-52779730/Products-aluminum-copper-bronze-brass-on-white-background.jpg" target="_blank" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center " data-href="*"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/06/231306-050-52779730/Products-aluminum-copper-bronze-brass-on-white-background.jpg?w=600&q=60" alt="Products from aluminum, copper, bronze, and brass on a white background. (metals)" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">© Yakim19/Dreamstime.com</cite></figcaption></figure> <p class="topic-paragraph">All <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/metal-chemistry" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">metals</a> can conduct <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/heat" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">heat</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/electric-current" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">electric current</a>, but some are more effective conductors than others. What are some factors that influence a metal’s electrical <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/conductivity" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">conductivity</a>?</p><span class="MOD1"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Metals are usually crystalline <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/solid-state-of-matter" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">solids</a>. In most cases, they have a relatively simple <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/crystal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">crystal</a> structure distinguished by a close packing of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/atom" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">atoms</a> and a high degree of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/symmetry-crystallography" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">symmetry</a>. A metal's valence <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/electron" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">electrons</a>—that is, the outermost electrons around an atom, which can be shared with other atoms—are non-localized, or free, and they are the ones that conduct an electric current by moving between atoms.</p><span class="MOD2"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">One might think that a metal with more free electrons than another metal would be a better electrical conductor. However, a metal’s conductivity depends on more than just the number of free electrons. It also depends on the mobility of those electrons—that is, the ease with which they are pulled through the solid by an electric field. For example, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/silver" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">silver</a> (Ag), with only one free electron per atom, is a better conductor than <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/aluminum" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">aluminum</a> (Al), with three, because the higher mobility of silver’s free electrons compensates for their fewness.</p><span class="MOD3"></span> <p class="topic-paragraph">Another factor that influences a metal's conductivity is its purity, since impurities interfere with the movement of free electrons through the solid. For example, pure <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/copper" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">copper</a> (Cu) is more conductive than a copper <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/alloy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">alloy</a>—a substance combining copper and one or more other <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/chemical-element" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">chemical elements</a>, each of which is essentially an impurity. Impurities often change a metal’s crystal structure, such as by increasing the distance between free electrons and introducing irregularities that interfere with the electrons’ movement through the solid.</p><span class="MOD4"></span> <span class="AM-END-OF-ARTICLE am-inline"></span></article> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="cm-rightrail d-none d-md-block ad-rail"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="md-loading hidden display-4 font-weight-normal"></div> <div class="text-center my-20 mb-100"> <button class="md-infinite-load-next btn btn-blue" data-value="next-page">Load More</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-da-320 hidden-xs"> </div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Story","templateName":"COMPANION","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":11,"pageId":11477,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/story-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Story","pageSubtype":"COMPANION","articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Why Are Some Metals More Conductive than Others? | Britannica