Ask A Scientist Chemistry Archive

Question:  Could you please explain to me what a noble gas is?
lisa forsythe
 
Answer:  A noble gas is an element with its outer electron shell 
completely filled.  He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn all have their outer 
p orbitals filled thus making them either totally or very unreactive.  
They are sometimes referred to as the inert gases too.  The word 
"noble" probably comes from the fact that they 'fend off' everything 
and don't react.  Nothing can 'harm' them, so to speak.
-Joe Schultz