2.4 - Group 0 - The Noble Gases
The noble gases and why they are unreactive
- Group 0 contains the noble gases: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.
- They are all colourless, non-flammable gases at room temperature.
Why they are unreactive
- Every noble gas atom has a full outer shell of electrons (2 for helium, 8 for the others), giving them a stable electron arrangement.
- Because their outer shell is full, they don't need to gain, lose or share electrons.
- This makes them inert (unreactive), so they don't readily form compounds.
- They exist as single, unbonded atoms (monatomic).
TermDefinition
InertUnreactive, so it does not take part in a reaction. The noble gases are inert because their atoms have a stable arrangement of electrons.
MonatomicExisting as single, unbonded atoms.