Why certain elements bond well while others do not?

Question

Which of the three sub-atomic particles(electrons, protons, and neutrons) determines most of the properties of an element and why?
How the atom of one element is different from the atom of another element?

Answer 1

I don't understand part 1 about bonding well. I don't know what that means. There are covalent bonds,ionic bonds, metallic bonds, etc.
Part 2. What kind of properties? Chemical or physical? I assume you mean chemical properties. The electrons are involved in bonding; therefore, the electrons and their arrangement in the outside shells are major factors in determining the CHEMICAL properties of elements.
Part 3. Atoms of one element are different from another by the number of protons and the number and arrangement of electrons.

Answer 2

the first part applies with the polar and nonpolar...so why polar and polar bonds better than polar with nonpolar?

Answer 3

I'm not even sure I agree that there is such a thing as a polar atom. We think of polar and non-polar BONDS as being formed between atoms with some difference in electronegativity (for polar bonds) and little or no difference in electronegativity (for non-polar bonds).

Answer 4

I'm I don't see how what makes silver and gold different