Does atoms lend and borrow electrons from inner shells?

Atoms typically do not lend or borrow electrons from inner shells when forming chemical bonds. Instead, they primarily interact with their outermost electrons, known as valence electrons, to form bonds through sharing, losing, or gaining electrons. Inner shell electrons are usually more tightly bound to the nucleus and are not involved in chemical reactions. Thus, the behavior of electrons in bonding primarily concerns the outermost shells.