As you move across a period from left to right in the periodic table, the nuclear charge (заряд ядра) increases due to the addition of protons. The number of electrons in the outermost shell (число на внешнем уровне) generally increases. The atomic radius (радиус атома) decreases because the increasing nuclear charge pulls the electrons closer to the nucleus. Metallic properties (металлические свойства) decrease as elements become less likely to lose electrons and more likely to gain them.