Like what’s stops them at 118?
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The nucleus of an atom contains positively charged protons and neutrally charged neutrons. They are surrounded by negatively charged electrons.
Since the nucleus only contains positively and neutrally charged particles, in order to keep the nucleus from pushing itself apart more neutrons need to be added the more protons you have.
The ratio begins breaking down when you get a big enough nucleus, requiring many neutrons for every proton added. When the nucleus is big enough the positive charge overwhelms and parts of the nucleus fly off. This is one type of nuclear fission. This brings the total number of protons down, which changes the atomic number, which is the elements definition.
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