The octet rule, named after Sir Isaac Newton (one of Newton’s great, influential colleagues), is one of several tools that can be utilized in analyzing high-energy physics. Among many others, the octet rule, sometimes called the Fagan’s rule, is useful in the study of exotic matter, such as quarks or topology. The octet rule was first proposed in 1796 by Sir Alfred Seward and is considered by many to be a fundamental law of nature. Here, we will discuss the key ideas behind this and other laws of physics and explore some of the limitations of the octet.
First, the octet rule assumes that all the elementary states of matter are either positive or negative and that these elements have no external nuclear charge. However, many elements can be found with a single electron and in so doing, give off pairs of electrons that are both positive and negative. This results in what is called a super bonded system, which has two electrons, rather than one, in its bonding bonds. Atoms that are in such a situation are known as highly bonded or highly negative and are subject to the same limitations as the ordinary atom. The octet can be stretched into regions of “p” or “P-shaped” if the nucleus has a high enough electron density. In such cases, the atoms are said to be highly “pairsified,” which means they can accept and release electrons from their neighbors.
Another limitation of the octet rule concerns the existence and behavior of the valence shell, which is often called the sheath of the atom. On the standard model of the atom, each of the six electrons in a “branch” of a six-sided structure has a definite energy level that determines their position in space. However, the valence shell can only exist if at least eight electrons are present. If less than eight electrons are present, either a zero or a valence electron is not allowed to bond with any other electron, and the structure is considered to be non-stable.
The existence of atoms was established through the study of quantum mechanics in a separate field. As the early physicists understood the behavior of matter, they began to use the octet rule to explain the chemical behavior of gases and many other substances. The fact that different gases have different amounts of energy led them to believe that there must be some definite number of electrons, or more than one, that govern the bonding of atoms. They also postulated that it must be possible to arrange the atoms in a manner that was consistent with the idea that particles could be made up of a single nucleus. This led to particles having a definite shape and size, but no definite number of electrons.
The stability of elements was further explained by Planck’s Law, which states that the amount of energy needed to liberate an electron from an atom is equal to the total amount of energy available for the free movement of the electron around the atom. Because the Planck’s Constant depends only on the atomic number, it has been a fundamental rule for understanding the behavior of elements. Another basic assumption of this rule is that, for every element, there exists a corresponding electrochemical number, which is used to indicate the stability of the element. The instability of elements was shown to be due to the influence of a number of external factors, but the exact calculations remained indecisive until Einstein came up with his own theory of relativity, which explained why stellar populations collapse in a certain fashion.
Isaac Newton is generally credited with first using the formula E=mc2, which he proved to be the governing force for all bodies at large. This was followed by others such as Michael Faraday, who discovered that the motion of electrons could be predicted by means of an electric field. From these results came the three laws of electricity, namely the law of conservation of energy, the law of electromagnetic induction, and the first law of electrostatics. These laws provide a framework within which science can explain many natural phenomena, including why the atom is made of particles, and how they go about creating energy in the form of light, heat, and even sound. The third law, namely the universal gravitation, is another product of science, which predicts the influence of heavenly bodies like the moon, on terrestrial objects like continents, oceans, and so on. It also explains the motion of celestial bodies so that we can understand why they attract stable matter into their respective centers.
Though the octet rule and similar theories were in some ways revolutionary, they are not without flaws. For example, Faraday’s electromagnetic induction rule implied that if two metals have opposite electrical charges then the sum of their poles will repel each other. However, it was soon realized that nearly all metals repel each other through electromagnetic fields, which contradict the original claim. Another flaw of this sort is that it only made sense for a solid object to have a definite size, since the size of the electron would always be less than the nucleus of the atom. Thus, it did not account for minute atoms and molecules.
Another major flaw of the octet rule concerns the influence of virtual elements. Just as electrons cannot exist in a stable form, virtual elements cannot exist at random. Thus, they could not bond with any atoms, and were ruled out as a result of the third rule, the atomic rule. Though this rule is now widely disregarded by chemists, who continue to study the electron in terms of various structures, the significance of the virtual element is still not completely understood. One way to resolve this is to assume that the virtual element is just a distinct name applied to a certain number of highly electrically charge atoms that have one or more neutrons, but has zero mass.