Group 0 — Noble Gases

This lesson covers the properties of the Group 0 elements (noble gases), as required by AQA GCSE Combined Science Trilogy (8464, Chemistry 4.1.2). The noble gases are helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe) and radon (Rn). They are the most unreactive group in the periodic table.

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Why Are Noble Gases Unreactive?

Noble gases have full outer electron shells:

Noble Gas	Atomic Number	Configuration	Outer Shell
Helium	2	$2$2	Full (2 electrons in 1st shell)
Neon	10	$2, 8$2,8	Full (8 electrons in 2nd shell)
Argon	18	$2, 8, 8$2,8,8	Full (8 electrons in 3rd shell)

Because their outer shells are full, noble gases have a stable electronic structure. They have no tendency to gain, lose or share electrons. This means:

• They do not form bonds with other atoms.
• They exist as individual atoms (monatomic) — not molecules.
• They are chemically inert (unreactive) under normal conditions.