Home > Chemistry > Periodic Trends in Electronegativity

Why are the Noble Gases unreactive?

Answer 1

Because they contain a full valence shell of electrons.

Noble gases have a full valence of electrons, which makes them difficult to oxidize because the valence electrons are tightly held by the nuclear charge, and difficult to reduce because electrons must enter the next valence shell.

Naturally, certain compounds of the noble gases do exist; these are typically composed of the highly oxidizing elements, fluorine and oxygen.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Olivia Anton

The noble gases are unreactive because they have a full outer electron shell, making them stable and unlikely to form chemical bonds with other elements.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.