Can someone explain the movement of electrons in a pure block of aluminum metal? At they free to move around between similar energy levels? Are they bound to Al atoms? What about orbital overlap?
Any element that allows the transfer of electrical flow to move across it usually has the characteristic of having free movement electrons in the outer shell. This is why metals are particularly good at electrical conduction. The best metal for transferring electrical charge is silver followed by copper and then aluminum. Much electrical wire is made from pure aluminum because it is cheaper than copper or silver and the resistance to flow is only slightly lower than copper. The electrons in the outer shells are still bound to the aluminum nucleus but they are free to accept a charge from neighboring aluminum atoms and transfer that charge to the next aluminum in the electrical flow. This is basically the definition of electrical resistance. Copper performs this transfer more efficiently than aluminum so it's electrical resistivity is less than aluminums. But in both base metals, the outer electrons never leave the atom, they simply transfer their charge to the next atom in line
