 Solution

Suppose first that $X$ is separable, and choose a norm-dense sequence $(x_n)$ in its unit ball. On the dual unit ball defineUniform boundedness on the unit ball and density of the $x_n$ show that this metric induces the weak-star topology. Conversely, if $B_{X^{\ast }}$ is weak-star metrizable, the Banach-Alaoglu theorem makes it a compact metric space. Hence $C(B_{X^{\ast }})$ is separable. The evaluation mapis an isometry by the Hahn-Banach theorem. A subspace of a separable metric space is separable, so $X$ is separable. This proves the weak-star metrizability criterion for a dual ball.

If $X$ has a countable weakly dense subset $D$, the rational linear span of $D$ is weakly dense. Its norm closure is a convex set, so Mazur theorem says that its weak and norm closures agree. Thus $X$ is norm separable. The weak-star compact metric ball $B_{X^{\ast }}$ consequently has a countable weak-star dense subset, and the union of its integer dilates is weak-star dense in $X^{\ast }$. Therefore $X^{\ast }$ is weak-star separable.

It need not be weakly separable. Take $X={\ell }^1$, whose dual is ${\ell }^{\infty }$. A weakly separable normed space is norm separable by the preceding convex-closure argument, whereas ${\ell }^{\infty }$ is not norm separable.

If the Banach space $X$ is reflexive, its closed unit ball identifies with the weak-star compact ball of $X^{\ast \ast }$, hence is weakly compact. Conversely, if $B_X$ is weakly compact, its canonical image $J(B_X)$ is weak-star compact and therefore weak-star closed in $X^{\ast \ast }$. Goldstine theorem says it is weak-star dense in $B_{X^{\ast \ast }}$, soScaling proves that $J$ is surjective and $X$ is reflexive. This is the weak compactness characterization of reflexivity.

The Krein-Milman theorem says that a nonempty compact convex subset of a locally convex space is the closed convex hull of its extreme points. For reflexive $X$, the ball $B_X$ is weakly compact, sowhere weak and norm closure agree for the convex hull by Mazur's theorem.

For the final claim, let $\mathcal{H}$ be the set of functions ${\mathbb{Z}}^2\to [0,1]$ with the mean-value property. It is a compact convex subset of the product $[0,1{]}^{{\mathbb{Z}}^2}$. If $f$ is extreme, its four unit translates also lie in $\mathcal{H}$, and the mean-value identity writes $f$ as their average. Extremality forces every translate to equal $f$, so $f$ is constant. Every extreme point is therefore constant. Krein--Milman now makes every member of $\mathcal{H}$ a limit of convex combinations of constant functions, and hence constant. This is the bounded harmonic function theorem on the integer lattice.