How an atom becomes stable?

An atom is stable if the forces among the particles that makeup the nucleus are balanced. An atom is unstable (radioactive) if these forces are unbalanced; if the nucleus has an excess of internal energy. Instability of an atom's nucleus may result from an excess of either neutrons or protons.
What are the two rules of stability of an atom?
If the forces of electrons and protons are balanced, then it is called the stability of atoms. If the electrons in the outermost shell are filled completely or partially then it is regarded as stable, while if it filled less than half then the atom is unstable.
What is a stable atom called?
A stable atom has a net charge of 0. In other words, it has an equal number of protons and electrons. The positive protons cancel out the negative electrons. When the number of electrons does not equal the number of protons, the atom is ionized. (The atom is then called an ion).
Why do atoms need to be stable?
Atoms will react to get in the most stable state possible. A complete octet is very stable because all orbitals will be full. Atoms with greater stability have less energy, so a reaction that increases the stability of the atoms will release energy in the form of heat or light.Aug 15, 2020
Why do atoms need 8 electrons to be stable?
Atoms with 8 electrons in their valence shell have completely filled last orbitals and are therefore the most stable, as their electronic configuration is similar to that of the closest noble gas. The number 8 is a lucky number, according to many Asian cultures.Nov 13, 2021
Which elements are stable atoms?
Most of the stable elements are having 'Octet Electron Configuration'. Other examples are Neon(Ne), Argon(Ar), Krypton (Kr), Xenon (Xe), Radon (Rn). Usually these elements do not take part in chemical reaction, because they are chemically stable elements.
How does an unstable become stable?
Radiation is emitted from atoms when an unstable atom decays to become more stable. When an atom has extra neutrons or protons, it causes the element to become unstable.Jul 7, 2021
What is an unstable atom called?
These atoms are said to be 'unstable' or 'radioactive'. ... This is called 'radioactive decay'. Each element exists in the form of atoms with several different sized nuclei, called isotopes. Unstable isotopes (which are thus radioactive) are called radioisotopes. Some elements, eg uranium, have no stable isotopes.
What is Octant rule?
The octet rule is a chemical rule of thumb that reflects the theory that main-group elements tend to bond in such a way that each atom has eight electrons in its valence shell, giving it the same electronic configuration as a noble gas.
What makes an electron configuration stable?
Electron configurations can also predict stability. An atom is at its most stable (and therefore unreactive) when all its orbitals are full. The most stable configurations are the ones that have full energy levels. These configurations occur in the noble gases.


Related questions
Related
What can hold up 18 electrons?
Number of electrons in each shell
Each d subshell holds at most 10 electrons. Each f subshell holds at most 14 electrons. Each g subshell holds at most 18 electrons.
Related
What is stability of an element?
Nuclide stability
Proton number Z, also named the atomic number, determines the position of an element in the periodic table. ... The last element in the periodic table that has a stable isotope is lead (Z = 82), with stability (i.e. half-lives of the longest lived isotopes) generally decreasing in heavier elements.
Related
What element is most stable?
The noble gases are the chemical elements in group 18 of the periodic table. They are the most stable due to having the maximum number of valence electrons their outer shell can hold. Therefore, they rarely react with other elements since they are already stable.