> Ah okay so you can have isotopes but you always
> need a balance between electrons and protons ?

In atoms, yes. But there are of course ions, in which the numbers of protons and electrons don't match, so they are electrically charged.

Why is there such a strong force that
> only acts to hold protons together ?


Science can't answer the question 'why'... We can only observe nature, and observe 'how' things work.


Why couldn't
> gluons by themselves in the absense of proton
> quarks hold electrons in a shell where n is
> negative ?


If there is no protons, there is no potential field, and there are no shells.


Regards,
Tommi

"In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!"
-Homer J. Simpson