Delocalised electrons are valence electrons in a metal that are not bound to any individual atom but are free to move throughout the whole structure. This sharing of electrons among all the metal ions is what holds a metal together. Their mobility accounts for the high electrical and thermal conductivity of metals.

离域电子是金属中不束缚于任何单个原子、可在整个结构中自由移动的价电子。正是这种在所有金属离子之间对电子的共享把金属结合在一起。它们的可移动性解释了金属的高导电性和导热性。