The electrons with a lower amount of energy would usually like to become closer to the nucleus because they are attracted to the opposite charge that can be found there. As a lot of people know, protons are located in the nucleus, which means that their positive charge is attracting the negative charge of electrons.
The outer electrons come with more potential energy as compared to those who are located closer to the nucleus. The electrons that are located farther from the nucleus may participate in other processes such as fission or displacement. This will depend on the other atoms that will be encountered by another atom.
The inner electrons are known to have lower energy as compared to the outer ones. The electrons that are located on the outer portion of the atom usually has more potential energy as compared to those that are staying near the nucleus.
The electrons that are in the outer shells do not have to be near the nucleus because they already have a lot of energy to begin with. They can use this energy in order to react with other atoms. They can transfer or they can share electrons with other atoms if needed while the inner electrons will just release their own energy to provide the atom with more kinetic energy.