What are fragments of atoms called?

Answer 1

Fragments of atoms may be described as subatomic particles, or they may be described by using fission fragments as a descriptive term. By looking at both instances, we might be able to see how they apply.

Probably the most familiar to us of the particles that "fragment" off or or out of atoms are are the products of radioactive decay of some unstable atoms. These include the alpha particle, the beta particle (which could be either an electron or a positron) and the neutron. We know that the alpha particle is composed of a pair or protons and a pair of neutrons. It's really a helium-4 nucleus, but it does qualify as a fragment of an atomic nucleus. The electron and the positron are emitted from unstable nuclei in beta minus and beta plus decay events, respectively. Neither particle exists in the nucleus of the atom, but is created during beta nuclear decay. Additionally, the positron is an anti-electron, so it does not constitute an atomic fragment (except perhaps in an antimatter universe). Lastly, the neutron can be seen emerging from an event called spontaneous fission, and we'll cover that (spontaneous fission) separately. Additionally, though the proton and neutron are actually composite particles, we'll not break them down here.

In spontaneous fission, a very heavy (and unstable) nucleus spontaneously "splits" or fissions. There are a handful of radionuclides that do this, but the most commonly known ones are uranium and plutonium. We know these two elements from ideas we've been exposed to concerning nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. In spontaneous fission, the unstable nucleus of a given atom just "splits" and breaks approximately in half. A pair of fission fragments (that's what they're actually called) will appear, and they'll be leaving the event with tremendous kinetic energy. We'll also see one or more neutrons appear as well. This is the basis for the beginning of a nuclear chain reaction, by the way. These ideas pretty much cover what we might call the "fragments of atoms" as they appear when something happens to an atomic nucleus. (If you're looking for the "building blocks of atoms, they'd be the protons, neutrons and electrons, and you'll find a number of different questions dealing with those ideas within WikiAnswers.

Some "hard core" physics types might try to convince us that neutron emission and proton emission are possible. They'd be correct. But we usually skip them because we only see neutron emission from the a handful of radionuclides, and they all short-lived and artificially created in the physics lab. Proton emission (and the rare double proton emission) are again products of a handful of extremely short-lived radionuclides, and they, too, are artificially created in the physics lab. Links can be found below to related questions on WikiAnswers that might allow the curious investigator to delve further into the world of radioactivity and nuclear physics. Anyone wishing to advance his knowledge must start somewhere, so why not there?

Answer 2

Fragments of molecules that have at least one electron available for bonding are called protons. The attraction between molecules tends to be stronger than the attraction between ions.

Answer 3

radicals.

Answer 4

Radicals