Atoms and Their Electrons: A Game of Stability

Everything you see is just atoms playing a game of 'keep away' with their electrons.

At the center of every atom, a positive nucleus pulls negative electrons toward it.

These electrons live in shells, and the ones on the outermost shell are the most important.

Some atoms, like sodium, have a single, loosely held electron they're happy to

give away. This makes them super reactive. Others, like neon,

have a full outer shell. They're stable, chill, and don't want to

bond with anything. This simple electron arrangement determines a material’s real-world properties,

like its strength or conductivity.