What is necessary for electricity to be conducted in a material?

For electricity to be conducted in a material, the presence of free-moving charged particles is essential. These charged particles can be electrons in metals or ions in electrolytes. When an electric field is applied, these charged particles move, allowing electrical current to flow through the material.

In metals, the structure allows for delocalized electrons, which can easily move throughout the material, thus facilitating electrical conduction. In ionic compounds, when dissolved in water or melted, the lattice structure breaks down, allowing ions (which carry charge) to move freely, resulting in conductivity.

While metallic bonds are strong and contribute to the presence of these free electrons, they alone do not guarantee the ability to conduct electricity since the mobility of the electrons is what primarily affects conductivity. High temperature can increase the energy and movement of particles, but it is not a requirement for conduction and can sometimes actually impede it in insulators. Low ionization energy indicates that an element can lose electrons easily, but it is the actual presence of those free-moving charged particles that is fundamentally necessary for electrical conduction.