There are currently 118 elements in the periodic table but could there be more. Maybe there's an infinite number and we could eventually discover unobtainium. But let's forget about unobtanium for a minute and take a look at good old ubiquitous carbon elements are defined by the number of protons they have.Carbon So carbon is carbon because it has six protons it also has six and a bit neutrons a bit because it has three naturally occurring Isotopes carbon 12 and 13 are stable but they're heavier