The lightest noble gases, such as helium and neon, are...

Name: Problem 57, Chapter 8: Principles of chemistry: A molecular approach
Uploaded: 2020-03-15T03:57:49-08:00
Duration: 1 min 15 s
Channel: Anna Miller
Description: The lightest noble gases, such as helium and neon, are completely inert-they do not form any chemical compounds whatsoever. The heavier noble gases, in contrast, do form a limited number of compounds. Explain this difference in terms of trends in fundamental periodic properties.

The lightest noble gases, such as helium and neon, are completely inert-they do not form any chemical compounds whatsoever. The heavier noble gases, in contrast, do form a limited number of compounds. Explain this difference in terms of trends in fundamental periodic properties.

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Key Concepts

Ionization Energy

Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom. Lighter noble gases possess very high ionization energies because their electrons are tightly held by a small, highly charged nucleus. As one moves down the group, the ionization energies decrease, making the outer electrons of heavier noble gases more accessible for chemical reactions, which explains their ability to form compounds under appropriate conditions.

Atomic Size and Polarizability

Atomic size increases as one moves down the noble gas group, meaning heavier noble gases have larger, more diffuse electron clouds. This increased atomic radius and enhanced polarizability make it easier for these electrons to interact with other atoms, enabling the formation of weak chemical bonds in compounds, which is not observed in the smaller, less polarizable light noble gases.

Electronic Configuration

Noble gases have a complete set of valence electrons that leads to high stability and low reactivity. In the lightest noble gases, the full electron shells are particularly compact and energetically favorable, which prevents them from participating in chemical bonding. In contrast, heavier noble gases, with electrons in higher energy orbitals, have conditions that allow them to participate in bonding under extreme conditions.

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