what makes an atom chemically stable
All atoms involved in an ionic bond are either positively or negatively charged and have a complete octet structure, which makes them chemically stable. Non-metals can bond with each other through covalent bonds, formed by sharing electrons. For example, chlorine atoms in their neutral state are one electron short of the stable octet. Two chlorine atoms can share one electron each and complete each otherâs octet by forming a covalent bond, thus becoming chemically stable.