For students in the 14−16 age range the octet “rule” is a
useful one: it provides a suitable set of criteria to work from
that will lead to examination success since the molecules they
will be tested on are limited to those involving covalent
bonding of atoms of period 1 and 2 elements. If students are to
study chemistry no further than this level, then there may be no
problem with them not exploring the limits of the rule.
However, students’ attachment to the octet rule has been
widely criticized as leading toward a number of misconceptions
and hindering further development of more advanced ideas on
chemical bonding.3 For many students there is a great deal of
benefit in introducing them to the idea that “rules” they may
have been presented with may be simplifications and, as such,
have limitations.