Metals usually have atomic radii greater than their ionic radii. This is because when a metal atom loses one or more electrons to form a cation, the effective nuclear charge (positive charge of the nucleus) increases, pulling the remaining electrons closer to the nucleus and reducing the size of the ion. However, in the metallic state, the outermost electrons are delocalized, meaning they are not associated with any one particular nucleus, but rather are free to move throughout the metal lattice. This results in the metallic radius being larger than the ionic radius.