Eli5. Why is there a limited amount of elements why aren’t there like infinite?

Question

Like what’s stops them at 118?

In: 0

Answer 1

Protons don’t want to be near other protons. Neutrons really want to be near protons.

So inside an atom, the protons push apart but the neutrons hold them together.

Now, neutrons are like glue. They can only hold on to protons almost right next to them. Protons, however, can push on all the other protons in a nucleus. This means that adding more neutrons can’t keep up with a growing nucleus. If it gets too large, the protons win and it falls apart.