What makes an element distinct from a different element?

The number of electrons, protons and neutrons makes atoms of one element different from the other. The properties of an element are decided by the number of electrons. Different elements have different number of electrons so they differ from each other.

What makes an element unique?

All atoms have protons, electrons and neutrons, but what makes each element unique is the number of protons. … The number of protons in an atom is known as the atomic number.