·
The
electrons are free to move within the metal like gaseous molecules. They are
confined to the metal due to surface potential.
·
The
velocity distribution of the free electrons is described by Fermi-Dirac
Statistics because electrons are spin half particles.
·
The
free electrons would go into the different energy levels by following Pauli’s
exclusion Principle which states that no two electrons have same set of Quantum
numbers.
·
The
motion of electrons is associated with a complex wave called matter wave,
according to De-Broglie hypothesis.
· The electrons cannot have all energies but will have discrete energies according to the equation, E = n2 h2 / 8ma2.
Drawbacks:
Conductivity: According to Quantum free electron
theory, the conductivity of a metal is
σ = μne, here ‘μ’
is the mobility of electrons, ‘n’ is the free electron concentration and ‘e’ is
the electron charge.
According to the
above equation, polyvalent metals like Aluminum (Al) should be more conductive
than monovalent metals like copper (Cu). But experimentally it is not so.
