How do we know for certain that atoms can’t have more than 8 maximum outermost electrons when atoms form chemical bonds? Is there any research being done to see why atoms prefer the octet rule?

Question

How do we know for certain that atoms can’t have more than 8 maximum outermost electrons when atoms form chemical bonds? Is there any research being done to see why atoms prefer the octet rule?

In: 2

Answer 1

You see, we know how atoms work by solving very complicated quantum mechanics equations (in the past by hand!) And we could learn things like the orbital shape and other useful properties.

Now, solving everytime equations is hard and most of the time in chemistry there are a lot of shortcuts to make life easier. The octet rule is one of those, and if you look at the f and d block, or the haufbau filling rules you see that the octet is not so much set in stone!

Also, in the past by looking ad atom emission and absorption spectra we could find out quite accurately the energy of the levels, and it his way we can really see how electrons occupy atomic orbitals !