Ans. 1. Metallic character of an atom is its tendency to lose electrons.
2. While going from left to right with in a period the outermost shell remains the same.
3. While going from left to right in a period, electrons are added to the same outermost shell. At the same time, protons get added in the nucleus increasing the nuclear charge. Hence, these electrons experience greater pull from the nucleus due to increased effective nuclear charge.
4. As a result of this the tendency of atom to lose electrons decreases within a period from left to right. Hence, metallic character goes on decreasing while going from left to right in a period.
