Why does the proton number differentiate between elements?

I know that it is a logical way of ordering the elements and that varying neutrons leads to an isotope. I know the facts. But why is it this way?Why is there an element with a proton number increasing by one each time?

I know that it is a logical way of ordering the elements and that varying neutrons leads to an isotope. I know the facts. But why is it this way?Why is there an element with a proton number increasing by one each time?

Why does the proton number differentiate between elements? Why is there an element with a proton number increasing by one each time?

Well once Mendeleev's periodic table was ordered by proton number, scientists didn't know that there were elements with a proton number increasing by one each time. You can see this from the gaps in older periodic tables, for example this one from 1915:



Scientists speculated that those gaps were missing elements with that atomic number, but could never confirm that until those elements were found. But eventually with time it became accepted that the elements with those atomic numbers existed, but have just not been found.

Also I guess since theoretically you can keep adding protons to create new elements, there is going to be an element that exists for every increasing proton number. It's just that when these 'new' elements are created, the strong nuclear force can only be so strong. The nuclei become too big to hold themselves together, and as a result have very short half-lives, for example livermorium only having a half-life of 60 milliseconds. The second post here explains it quite well.

I know I probably didn't answer your question the way you wanted, but I hope I was at least of some help! Also I suggest checking out the subreddits /r/AskScience and /r/ExplainLikeImFive for questions like this

If they had the same proton number, they'd be the same element by definition. But you have isotopes/ions per element by tinkering with the neutron/electron number. Nobody knows why elements found so far (!) have proton number increasing by +1 (arithmetically with a = 1, d = 1).

But there's no reason as to why they shouldn't, nor any constraint towards an even, odd or another pattern in proton number. So the a = 1, d = 1 pattern discovered to date seems sensible and is expected to hold.

Do you want to know how those elements came into being by increasing the number of protons? if so, that has something to do with nuclear fusion then.

By nuclear fusion, atoms were merged to new a new atom and the protons of them to one too. Thus the number of protons in a nucleus increases by one. This nuclear fusion was caused by high pressures and temperatures in space billions of years ago.

In times of nuclear fusion process, the first simple elements were created from hydrogen up to oxygen.

I know of this, but I itch to know why

I know of this, but I itch to know why

"Why?" is usually a useless question in science. "How?" is much more interesting.

I know of this, but I itch to know why

I know of this, but I itch to know why

This is one of those cases where it's like a toddler repeatedly asking why until you get fed up and say "that's just the way it is".

You've asked why enough times and got down to the bare bones of it. The reason the proton number increases by 1 each time, is because that proton number is what defines something as a separate element.

A nucleus with a single proton will be hydrogen, by definition. That single proton and neutron have a set of properties like other atoms with a single neutron and proton. It's these nucleus arrangements that give the elements their properties.

No. There is still something covering the bones, but I'll leave it here.