It really isn't tautology. I'm asking why a group of elements that includes platinum, rhodium, gold, iridium, osmium, palladium, rhenium, ruthenium, germanium, beryllium, silver, gallium, indium, tellurium, mercury, and bismuth do not corrode or oxidize easily. This just means they don't react easily with stuff like hydrochloric acid or oxygen in the air. Why, what about their electronic structure makes them more stable than say, iron or nickel. That is my question because I can't seem to find a straight answer anywhere.