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Atoms do not actually have desires as such, although the metaphor can be useful. Atoms are more stable when they have a full outer electron shell.  The smaller atoms, hydrogen, helium, lithium, and beryllium, can obtain a full outer shell with only two electrons in it.  The heavier atoms require 8 electrons to have a full outer shell.  That is known as the octet rule (an octet is a set of eight).

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12y ago

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