Based on their chemical properties, what can you infer about the reactivity of helium and neon?

• A. Helium is highly reactive, while neon is inert.
• B. Both helium and neon are chemically inert and rarely form compounds.
• C. Both helium and neon readily react with other elements to form stable compounds.
• D. Neon is more reactive than helium and forms many compounds.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the group to which helium and neon belong in the periodic table. Both helium and neon are noble gases, located in Group 18.
2. Recall the general chemical properties of noble gases: they have a full valence shell of electrons, which makes them very stable and unlikely to react with other elements.
3. Understand that the full valence shell means helium has 2 electrons (its only shell is full), and neon has 8 electrons in its outer shell, both satisfying the octet rule or duet rule for helium.
4. Based on their full valence shells and stable electronic configurations, infer that both helium and neon are chemically inert and rarely form compounds under normal conditions.
5. Conclude that statements suggesting helium or neon are highly reactive or readily form compounds are incorrect, and the correct inference is that both are inert gases with very low reactivity.