Hey whats goin on guys im pretty new to the forums I just ran into this problem during my general bio homework and my professore really didnt give me that good of an explanation so here goes.

 

Why are atoms unlikely to react when they have their outer shell filled with electrons?

 

thanks in advance guys

A full shell of electrons is more stable (i.e. lower energy) than an unfilled shell. Atoms bond to each other to fill their outer shell of electrons (all the inner ones are already full) so an atom that already has a full outer shell won't really bond to anything else.

And atoms, much like anything else, seek the most efficient state... the most stable. Since they are already stable, they interact less.