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WHY IS THERE A RULE OCTET STABILITY IN VALLENCE SHELL?
The octet rule states that atoms are most stable when they have a full shell of electrons in the outside electron shell. The first shell has only two electrons in a single s subshell. Helium has a full shell, so it is stable, an inert element. All the other shells have an s and a p subshell, giving them at least eight electrons on the outside. The s and p subshells often are the only valence electrons, thus the octet rule is named for the eight s and p electrons. In simple terms, molecules or ions tend to be most stable when the outermost electron shells of their constituent atoms contain eight electrons. The rule is commonly used in drawing Lewis dot structures.


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