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Chapter 5: Problem 9

How does the octet rule help predict the chemical reactivity of an element?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The octet rule helps predict the chemical reactivity of an element by revealing its stability. If an atom's outer shell is not full, it will tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to achieve stability, making it more chemically reactive. More specifically, elements with nearly full or nearly empty outer shells (like alkaline metals and halogens) tend to be more reactive, while those with full outer shells (like noble gases) are less reactive.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Octet Rule

The octet rule is a chemical rule of thumb reflecting the observation that atoms of main-group elements tend to combine in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electron configuration as a noble gas. In simple terms, atoms are more stable when their outermost shell is full. For most atoms, a full shell consists of eight electrons.
02

Identify the Implication on Chemical Reactivity

Since atoms strive towards a stable, full outer electron shell, they become more chemically reactive if they have fewer or more than eight electrons in their outer shell. They will tend to gain, lose, or share electrons to fulfill the octet rule. This directly influences an element's chemical reactivity, as elements that do not have a complete outer shell will be more likely to react with other elements to attain a stable electron configuration.
03

Differentiate between elements based on their reactivity

Elements with complete outer shells, like noble gases, show little reactivity under normal conditions since they are already stable. On the other hand, alkaline metals (Group 1) and halogens (Group 17) are highly reactive as they either need to lose one electron or gain one electron for a stable configuration, respectively.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

If helium does not obey the octet rule, then why do its atoms not react?

Write formulas for the following polyatomic ions. \begin{equation} \begin{array}{ll}{\text { a. cyanide }} & {\text { c. nitrite }} \\ {\text { b. sulfate }} & {\text { d. permanganate }}\end{array} \end{equation}

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