system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What's the distance between atoms in a solid?

Just wondering how close together atoms are together in a solid item or molecule. I know that electrons are far from the nucleus but say i have two atoms next to each other, are the nuclei seperated by the electrons or are the electrons just kind of interlocked and the nuclei next to eachother?
gpt
Atoms are surrounded by electrons, yes, but only the outermost electrons participate in bonding.

Therefore yes, there is a "wall" of electrons between the nuclei of two atoms that are close to each other. (Meaning every electron that DOES NOT participate in bonding is still "AROUND" the individual atoms.)

Most bond lengths (the distance between adjacent nuclei) are on the order of 100-250 picometers. (10^-12 meters) The radius of the nucleus of an atom is about 1-10 femptometers (10^-15 meters).

So if the question you are asking is "how far apart are the electron clouds" the answer is 0 because they literally overlap.

If you're asking how far apart the NUCLEI are, the answer is 100-250 picometers. 

It's worth noting that while you may THINK the nuclei make the "solid" part of matter, that really isn't true. Things appear and feel solid to us because of electron-electron repulsion. It's the electrons that make things "solid." The electrons in the atoms of our fingers don't want to get close to the electrons in the table that we're touching, so there is a "force" created there that pushes back when they get close.