Why does the amount of protons in an element wildly change its properties? For example: why is two protons a gas, but suddenly three protons is a metallic solid?

Question

Why does the amount of protons in an element wildly change its properties? For example: why is two protons a gas, but suddenly three protons is a metallic solid?

In: 109

Answer 1

Chemistry is understanding charged particles. Some charges are small (we call these electrons), and some charges are a little bigger (protons).

These molecules can have different shapes. If you stack shapes like marbles into a pile, they barely touch eachother. If you stack shapes like cubes, they have full contact. Think of these points of contact as magnets. The more they touch, the stronger the connection. These atomic shapes are called atomic orbitals. The stacking shape is what influences the behaviour.