What are inactive gases?

Based on their common chemical properties, these gases are arranged in one vertical column in the periodic table, with the order of increasing atomic number being Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, and Radon.

It turns out that the most stable electronic configuration is reached when the outermost shell of an atom holds the maximum number of electrons it can accommodate – eight electrons. Chemical properties are entirely determined by the way the electrons are arranged in orbit around the nucleus of an atom. All chemical reactions involve the transfer of the outermost electrons across the various substances involved.

Helium has only one orbital, which can only hold two electrons; since this orbital is fully occupied, Helium is also rendered unreactive. All of the gases mentioned above, with the exception of Helium, have eight electrons in their outermost orbital, making them extremely unreactive.

Inactive gases are inert gases, also known as noble gases, found in Group 18 of the periodic table. They have full electron shells, making them chemically stable and less likely to form compounds. The noble gases are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon.