why are is there a such a variety of substances when everything is made of protons, electrons, neutrons?

Question

i know that there are subatomic particles but if it all comes down to those three wouldn't you expect there to be 3 types of substances

Answer 1

Well you see, the thing is that the number of protons is what decides its properties. I think its about the number of protons determine. I'm pretty sure that the number of protons is what allows certain types of atoms to bond with it, and concerning the way they form bonds, thats what determines what type of substance the product will be.

Answer 2

All atoms r made of 3 subatomic particles....so they should behave similarily...its not simple as that...many other factors contribute towards behaviour...like ionisation enthalpy, electronic configuration, electron gain enthalpy, electronegativity, radioactivity,nature n size of the atom etc...which is due to diff no. n orientation of these particles that results in so much of variety

Answer 3

protons and neutrons interact by the strong force and are confined to the atomic nucleus. there are hundreds of different stable atomic nuclei with different numbers of protons and neutrons. protons and electrons interact by the electromagnetic force to form atoms, and atoms can share electrons to form molecules. there are an almost infinite number of ways for atoms to form different molecules.