Practice question · Multiple choice
The noble gases sit in one column and barely react at all. Why does a full outer shell produce chemical inertness?
Hints
- Ask what an atom gets out of forming a bond.
- Compare a full shell with one electron short of full.
Show the answer
C. Because a filled shell has nothing to gain by bonding
Why
Reactivity is about available energy, not about the number of electrons. Xenon does react under force with fluorine, which shows the inertness is a matter of degree rather than a prohibition.
Practise Atomic structure and quantized description
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