Final answer:
The statement is true. Elements that conduct electricity with ease tend to have low ionization energies, allowing for free movement of electrons or ions to carry electric charge, making them good conductors.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Elements that readily conduct electricity are elements with low ionization energies' is true. Conductors, such as metals, have free electrons that are not tightly bound to atoms, allowing them to move more freely through the material when an electrical potential is applied. This ease of electron movement is due to the low ionization energies of these elements, which means less energy is required to remove an electron from an atom. These free electrons make metals good conductors of electricity. In contrast, insulators have higher ionization energies, which means their electrons are more tightly bound to their respective atoms, making them poor conductors of electricity.
Materials that contain free ions, such as salty water, can also conduct electricity well because the ions move through the material, allowing electric charges to flow. The physical and chemical properties of different elements can classify them as metals, nonmetals, and metalloids, with metals being excellent conductors, nonmetals being poor conductors, and metalloids having intermediate conductivities.