Question

Metals are generally solids at room temperature.

Name a metal which is liquid at room temperature.

Answer 1

At room temperature, Mercury $\left(Hg\right)$ would be the only metal that is liquid.

1. To understand why mercury is liquid at room temperature, we must first understand mercury's electronic configuration. Mercury has the atomic number $80$ in the periodic table and Mercury's electronic configuration is as follows: $\left[XE\right]$ $4f^{14}5d^{10}6s^2$
2. Metals, in general, lose electrons quickly and form bonds with other elements, whereas mercury's valence electrons are not shared because the electrons in mercury are strongly bound by the nucleus and exhibit relativistic effects, they appear to be larger than slow travelling electrons.
3. Mercury has a low melting and boiling point due to its weak bonding characteristic. Breaking the link between mercury atoms requires relatively little energy.

As a result, mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.