6. Which among the following is not a characteristic of transition metals? A.Tendency to gain electrons B.Low electronegativity C.Low ionization energy D.Malleability
Answer: Option A Solution: The transition metals have a tendency to lose electrons. Since the electrons in the highest energy level are actually on a lower principal energy number than the ones before them, this makes it relatively easy to lose some or all of their electrons to land in stable state. When these metals form ions, the 4s electrons are always lost first; so, they form only cations (positive ions).