Metals show a wide range of chemical behavior. Give examples of that variation by describing some common properties of calcium, gold, iron, and sodium.

The elements calcium, gold, iron and sodium are all metals. They all have a tendency to donate their valance electrons, rather than acquiring additional valance electrons. They all form metallic bonds, in the form of a shared electron cloud. They all have the electrical conductivity and metallic luster which comes with metallic bonds.