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Q.Nobel gases have comparatively large atomic radius. Why?

Bihar BsebBihar Board Intermediate 2023Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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For noble gases only the van der Waals radius can be measured, and it is larger than the covalent radius reported for other elements.

All other elements in a period form chemical bonds, so their atomic radius is normally reported as the covalent radius = half the internuclear distance between two bonded atoms. In a covalent bond the electron clouds overlap, which pulls the nuclei closer, giving a smaller radius.

Noble gases have completely filled outermost shells (ns2 np6, except He which is 1s2). They are chemically inert and do not form bonds under ordinary conditions, so they exist as isolated, monoatomic atoms. For such non-bonded atoms the only measurable radius is the van der Waals radius = half the distance between the nuclei of two adjacent atoms that are merely touching (not bonded).

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