When you are studying chemistry, in quantum mechanics we have this thought experiment/math workthrough called 'molecule in a box.'
Basically if one hydrogen atom in a box with nothing else, then you only have to deal with the physics of that one atom bouncing off the side of the box.
Now we said one H atom, one proton, one neutron, one electron. Your example of uranium is a problem because when talking about every molecule, we have two groups of forces- the ones between it and the world and the ones between itself. Uranium is not stable on its own, and is undergoing a tremendous amount of force within itself, those are a lot of different protons and electrons and neutrons, that all have forces on each other.
So short answer, no, long answer, no again but because it is infinitely more complex and even when we are examining a simple scenario we are ignoring factors simply because the dynamics of molecules are way way more complicated than solid liquid and gas.
Jasmisne t1_jd4g988 wrote
Reply to Can a single atom be determined to be in any particular phase of matter? by Zalack
When you are studying chemistry, in quantum mechanics we have this thought experiment/math workthrough called 'molecule in a box.'
Basically if one hydrogen atom in a box with nothing else, then you only have to deal with the physics of that one atom bouncing off the side of the box.
Now we said one H atom, one proton, one neutron, one electron. Your example of uranium is a problem because when talking about every molecule, we have two groups of forces- the ones between it and the world and the ones between itself. Uranium is not stable on its own, and is undergoing a tremendous amount of force within itself, those are a lot of different protons and electrons and neutrons, that all have forces on each other.
So short answer, no, long answer, no again but because it is infinitely more complex and even when we are examining a simple scenario we are ignoring factors simply because the dynamics of molecules are way way more complicated than solid liquid and gas.