Categories: Alternative conceptions
An example of an alternative conception.
Learners commonly think that species with full outer shells, or outer shell octets of electrons (which is the same thing in period 2), have a special stability, such that ions with full outer shells or outer shell octets of electrons will be more stable than the corresponding atoms.
Usually, however, the neutral species is more stable, and ionisation energy is needed to remove an electron from a neutral atom.
Read: Conceptions of chemical stability
Read: Conceptions of the octet rule
