Why are the atoms of the Group 8 elements unreactive?

Group 8 elements are also known as zero group elements as they have zero valency. The reason for them being inert is that all of their shells are completely filled. Inert gases have ns2 np6 configuration which shows that they have 8 electrons in their valence shell.

What makes an atom reactive Why are some atoms more reactive than others?

The number of electrons in the outermost shell of an atom determines its reactivity. Noble gases have low reactivity because they have full electron shells. Alkali metals are highly reactive because they readily lose the single electron in their outermost shell.

Why do elements in Group 8A have no reactivity?

That’s because they have eight valence electrons, which fill their outer energy level. This is the most stable arrangement of electrons, so noble gases rarely react with other elements and form compounds.

Is Group 8 elements unreactive?

Group 8A (or VIIIA) of the periodic table are the noble gases or inert gases: helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and radon (Rn). The name comes from the fact that these elements are virtually unreactive towards other elements or compounds.

What do Group 8 elements have in common?

Let’s take a moment to review some of the properties these nobles of the element world share: They are inert gases located on the right of the periodic table. They have a full-set of valence electrons, so they’re stable. They are colorless, odorless and tasteless.

Why are some elements very reactive while others are unreactive?

An element’s reactivity depends on how its electrons are arranged. Conversely, if the outer shell is occupied by just one solitary electron (ie sodium) this electron can readily be shared with another atom, making it highly reactive.

Why do atoms of different elements react differently?

Since the states of the electrons in an atom are what determine the nature of the chemical bonding that the atom experiences, two atoms of the same element can react differently if they are in different states. An atom of sodium from table salt behaves very differently from an atom of sodium from metallic sodium.

Why do Group 8 elements have similar properties?

These valence electrons help determine who elements can bond with and give them certain properties. So, like nobility, the noble gases don’t often bond or interact with the general population. So, most of the noble gases have eight valence electrons, which is the magic number for stability.

How are Group 8 elements different from other elements?

The Group 8A elements have a full octet of eight valence electrons in their highest-energy orbitals (ns2np6), so these elements have very little tendency to gain or lose electrons to form ions, or share electrons with other elements in covalent bonds.

What group is Group 8 in?

Group 8 is a group (column) of chemical elements in the periodic table. It consists of iron (Fe), ruthenium (Ru), osmium (Os) and hassium (Hs). They are all transition metals.

What is the purpose of the proton?

Function in the Atom The protons inside an atom’s nucleus help bind the nucleus together. They also attract the negatively charged electrons, and keep them in orbit around the nucleus. The number of protons in an atom’s nucleus determines which chemical element it is.

Why do different atoms have different properties?

The difference in the number of protons and neutrons in atoms account for many of the different properties of elements. The number and arrangement of electrons in an atom define the chemical characteristics of elements. One way to think of electrons is that they are the part of the atom that “shows”.