The metals can be beaten into thin sheets, the property is called _______.

Concept:

Malleability

• Malleability is the property by virtue of which a material may be hammered or rolled into thin sheets without rupture. This property generally increases with the increase of temperature.
• Malleability is the ability of a metal to exhibit large deformation or plastic response when being subjected to a compressive force.
• Lead, soft steel, wrought iron, copper, and aluminium are some materials in order of diminishing malleability.

Ductility

• Ductility is the property of the material that enables it to be drawn out or elongated to an appreciable extent before rupture occurs.
• The percentage elongation or percentage reduction in the area before the rupture of a test specimen is the measure of ductility. Normally if a percentage elongation exceeds 15% the material is ductile and if it is less than 5% the material is brittle.
• Lead, copper, aluminium, mild steel are typical ductile materials.

Sonority: It is the property of a metal which associates with producing sound.

Lustre

• The lustre of metals is because of the reflection of light due to the presence of free electrons.
• When metals are in their pure form they have shining surface and it is called metallic lustre.
• Metals have a lot of free moving electrons on their surface hence when light strikes the surface of metal they will be reflected by free electrons in a specular reflection (Light reflected in a pointed direction rather than diffused reflection). 
• When these metals are in the open air they tend to react with elements like carbon, oxygen and form a thin layer of coating on the surface of metals.
• Thus metals lose their lustre.
• This lustre can be brought back by either polishing the surface of metal or treating it with suitable chemicals.