Re: Why is it that elements high in number on the perodic table not last long?

When it comes to chemistry, bigger is not always better.  The larger a
compound's atomic number, the more protons it has in its nucleus.  The
more protons in an atom, the more inherently unstable it becomes.  The
highest atomic numbers belong to elements that do not occur in nature
simply because they are so unstable.  They had to be prepared by scientists
in the laboratory, and most of them fall apart within a fraction of a 
second.