Why Does Changing Just One Proton Change an Element? - 2024

Geochemistry & Hydrochemistry

Ash presented a video in early 2024 that sodium a metal but argon is a gas. Electron configurationa determine this. Sodium atoms can form metallic bond because the positively charge cation K+ forms an electrostatic attraction with the delocalized electrons from the outer shell.

Argon cannot form such bonds because there is no delocalized electron nor cation formed, since the electron structure of the atom is already stable. 

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