Editing Nonmetal (section)

=== Noble gases ===
{{main|Noble gas}}
[[File:Argon ice 1.jpg|thumb|A small (about 2 cm long) piece of rapidly melting [[argon]] ice|alt=a glass tube, held upside down by some tongs, has a clear-looking ice-like plug in it which is slowly melting judging from the clear drops falling out of the open end of the tube]]
Six nonmetals are classified as noble gases: helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and the radioactive radon. In conventional periodic tables they occupy the rightmost column. They are called ''noble'' gases due to their exceptionally low [[chemical reactivity]].<ref name="Matson">[[#Matson|Matson & Orbaek 2013, p. 203]]</ref>

These elements exhibit similar properties, being colorlessness, odorless, and nonflammable. Due to their closed outer electron shells, noble gases possess weak [[interatomic force]]s of attraction, leading to exceptionally low melting and boiling points.<ref>[[#Jolly|Jolly 1966, p. 20]]</ref>

Chemically, the noble gases exhibit relatively high ionization energies, negligible or negative electron affinities, and high to very high electronegativities. The number of compounds formed by noble gases is in the hundreds and continues to expand,<ref>[[#Maosheng|Maosheng 2020, p. 962]]</ref> with most of these compounds involving the combination of oxygen or fluorine with either krypton, xenon, or radon.<ref>[[#Mazej|Mazej 2020]]</ref>