Question

Noble gases are used in many situations where a safe and constant environment must be maintained. For example, Helium is used to provide a protective atmosphere for making fiber optics and semiconductors. Argon is used to fill incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs to prevent oxygen from corroding the hot filament. Why are noble gases used in these situations?

A. Nobel gases do not have a complete valence electron shell making them unstable and reactive.
B. Nobel gases have a complete valence electron shell making them unstable and reactive.
C. Noble gases do not have a complete valence electron shell making them stable and nonreactive.
D. Noble gases have a complete valence electron shell making them stable and nonreactive.

Answer 1

Noble gases like helium and argon are used to maintain stable and nonreactive environments in various applications due to their filled valence electron shells, which make them chemically inert.

Step-by-step explanation:

Noble gases, including helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon, are used in situations requiring a stable and nonreactive environment due to their filled outer subshell which makes them stable and nonreactive. This complete valence electron shell provides them with large ionization energies, which means they do not readily give up an electron. Additionally, their chemical inactivity means they do not easily participate in reactions involving sharing electrons, except under high pressure and temperature. For instance, argon is used to fill incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs to prevent the hot filament from corroding, while helium provides a protective atmosphere in the manufacturing of fiber optics and semiconductors.