The process described as combining of atoms of elements to form new substances is called

• A. Chemical bonding
• B. Electron configuration
• C. Noble-gas configuration
• D. Noble gases

Answer: (A)

Combining atoms to form new substances is chemical bonding. Atoms bond because doing so lowers their energy and helps them reach a more stable electron arrangement, often resembling a noble gas configuration. Bonds can be covalent, where atoms share electrons, or ionic, where electrons are transferred, and sometimes metallic, with delocalized electrons. Through bonding, compounds form with properties different from the original elements. Electron configuration simply describes how electrons are arranged around a nucleus, while noble-gas configuration refers to a particularly stable arrangement that many atoms aim for—this explains why bonding happens, but it isn’t the process itself. Noble gases are elements that already have that stable arrangement and are typically inert. So the process described is chemical bonding.