Classroom visuals
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![Periodic Table]()
Periodic Table
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![Atom]()
Atom
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![Argon Atom]()
Argon Atom
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![Carbon Atom]()
Carbon Atom
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![Atom Model]()
Atom Model
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![Scanning Probe Microscope]()
Scanning Probe Microscope
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![Spectroscope]()
Spectroscope
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![Molecular model]()
Molecular model
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![Atom's Structure]()
Atom's Structure
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![Supernova]()
Supernova
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![Davy's Electrolysis Trough]()
Davy's Electrolysis Trough
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![Diamond]()
Diamond
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![Part of the Periodic Table]()
Part of the Periodic Table
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![Dmitri Mendeleev]()
Dmitri Mendeleev
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![Using the Periodic Table]()
Using the Periodic Table
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![Magnesium]()
Magnesium
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![Alloy Wheels]()
Alloy Wheels
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![Fireworks]()
Fireworks
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![Gold Ore]()
Gold Ore
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![Gold Jewellery]()
Gold Jewellery
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Electron Shells
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Electron Shells (unlabelled)
Film info
Film summary
Learn why electron shells are responsible for the properties of elements, and whether they are stable or have violent reactions.Key facts
- An element's reactivity is determined by the number of electrons in the outer shell of its atom.
- To be perfectly stable, an atom requires a full outer shell of electrons.
- The inner shell of every atom can hold only two electrons - as the shells move further away from the nucleus, they can accommodate more electrons.
- Potassium, with a single outer shell electron, will react with other elements to leave it with a full outer shell.
Transcript
What makes the element potassium violently reactive?
While the element gold can remain unchanged for thousands of years.
The key to an element's reactivity lies with the number and arrangement of its electrons.
Electron Shells
In all atoms, negative electrons move in a relatively huge space around the positive nucleus.
But crucially, the electrons organise …
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