Any of a class of elements that generally are solid at ordinary temperatures, have a grayish color and a shiny surface, and will conduct heat and electricity:

In a pure electrolytic solution, a metal will form positive ions.

Metals constitute about three-fourths of the known elements and can form alloys with each other and with nonmetals.

Common metals include copper, gold, silver, tin, iron, lead, aluminum, and magnesium.

An alloy is a mixture composed of the previously listed-common metals.

The first group of the Periodic Table of Elements: The alkali metals includ lithium, sodium, potassium; as well as, the lesser-known and rarer rubidiuim, cesium, and francium.

Alkali metals are not very electronegative, meaning they attract electrons very weakly.

All of the alkali metals> can act as electrolytes in solution, meaning that they conduct electricity. Many of these elements are found in alkaline batteries.

Lithium in particular is found in many types of batteries and it is also an important component of several drugs used to treat mental illnesses.

One of the second group on the left of the Periodic Table, IIA: The alkaline earth metals include beryllium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, barium, and radium.

When these elements are combined with oxygen or water, they form compounds with a basic pH.

Alkaline earth metals are not very electronegative. They have just two valence electrons, and will lose them to become positively charged ions or cations.

A fuel cell technology that uses metals, such as zinc, aluminum, and magnesium in place of hydrogen to provide electrical power in order to overcome certain disadvantages that are associated with hydrogen as a fuel.

Electronic device for detecting metal which is usually below the surface of the ground, developed from the wartime mine detector; In the head of the metal detector is a coil, that is part of an electronic circuit.

The presence of metal causes the frequency of the signal in the circuit to change, setting up an audible note in the headphones worn by the user.

A type of high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp in which most of the light is produced by radiation of metal halide (chemical compound of a halogen) and mercury vapors in the arc tube: Metal halide lamps are similar in construction and appearance to mercury vapor lamps.

The addition of metal halide gases results in higher light output, more lumens (unit of luminous flux) per watt, and better color rendition than from mercury gas alone.

A device that can store hydrogen by means of a metal carrier: The metal hydride storage is considered a relatively safe and compact method of hydrogen storage.

The hydrogen can either be retained in the cavities of a grid of metal, such as magnesium or titanium, or it can enter into an ionic bond with the metal.

A process of producing materials for semiconductors: Metal-organic chemical vapor depositions includ photovoltaic material, in which a surface layer is produced by the deposition on a substrate of a volatile organo-metallic compound; such as, methyl, which is transported to the surface through the gas phase at elevated temperatures.

A piece of metal buried near a structure that is to be protected from corrosion.

The purposeful corrosion of a less desirable metal so that an adjacent preferred metal can be protected from corrosion.