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A free neutron actually decays into a proton, and an electron and an antineutrino are ejected in the process. This is beta minus decay, and a free neutron is unstable and will decay by this mechanism. While it is true that a proton and an electron make up a hydrogen-1 atom, the decay of the neutron is slightly different. The reason is that the electron leaves the decay event with a high kinetic energy, and it cannot be "held" by the proton (to create the hydrogen atom). Certainly the proton will "pick up" an electron from somewhere after is slows down a bit following its creation, as it, too, has some kinetic energy. The proton will have to release that kinetic energy through scattering, just like the electron that left the event. Links can be found below to related questions with descriptive answers.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoThe lightest chemical element; its symbol is H. Hydrogen normally consists of a single electron in orbit around a nucleus made up of a single proton. It is usually found as a gas and has several uses as a fuel. There are isotopes of hydrogen that differ!
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What is the location of the neutron?
a neutron's location in an atom is in the core, or nucleus, of that atom.Where_is_the_neutrons_location_in_the_atom
When a neutron decays what does it form?
Outside the nucleus, free neutrons are unstable and have a mean lifetime of 885.7±0.8 s (about 15 minutes), decaying by emission of a negative electron and antineutrino to become a proton: : n0 → p+ + e− + νe
Type of nuclear reaction that results in the production of synthetic element?
Synthetic elements are mostly produced by neutron capture. This is different from decay, fission, or fusion, but is more like fusion. In neutron capture, a free neutron is captured by the nucleus of an atom, producing a new isotope. The new isotope is likely to have too many neutrons, because it was a neutron that it captured. With too many neutrons, it wants to undergo decay by converting a neutron into a proton, and emitting a negative beta particle. This does not alter the mass number, but it does increase the number of protons in the atom by one, and so it increases the atomic number by one. For example, an atom of 237Np captures a neutron and becomes 238Np, which decays by negative beta decay to become 238Pu. Some synthetic elements are produced by fusion.
A free-moving neutron is absorbed by the nucleus of an atom. This can cause?
the atom to become unstable and rip apart
Which part of an atom is free to move?
Because atoms are in everything!
What is the location of the neutron?
a neutron's location in an atom is in the core, or nucleus, of that atom.Where_is_the_neutrons_location_in_the_atom
When a neutron decays what does it form?
Outside the nucleus, free neutrons are unstable and have a mean lifetime of 885.7±0.8 s (about 15 minutes), decaying by emission of a negative electron and antineutrino to become a proton: : n0 → p+ + e− + νe
What is an atom stable?
An atom is stable if it does not undergo decay.
Type of nuclear reaction that results in the production of synthetic elements?
Synthetic elements are mostly produced by neutron capture. This is different from decay, fission, or fusion, but is more like fusion. In neutron capture, a free neutron is captured by the nucleus of an atom, producing a new isotope. The new isotope is likely to have too many neutrons, because it was a neutron that it captured. With too many neutrons, it wants to undergo decay by converting a neutron into a proton, and emitting a negative beta particle. This does not alter the mass number, but it does increase the number of protons in the atom by one, and so it increases the atomic number by one. For example, an atom of 237Np captures a neutron and becomes 238Np, which decays by negative beta decay to become 238Pu. Some synthetic elements are produced by fusion.
Type of nuclear reaction that results in the production of synthetic element?
Synthetic elements are mostly produced by neutron capture. This is different from decay, fission, or fusion, but is more like fusion. In neutron capture, a free neutron is captured by the nucleus of an atom, producing a new isotope. The new isotope is likely to have too many neutrons, because it was a neutron that it captured. With too many neutrons, it wants to undergo decay by converting a neutron into a proton, and emitting a negative beta particle. This does not alter the mass number, but it does increase the number of protons in the atom by one, and so it increases the atomic number by one. For example, an atom of 237Np captures a neutron and becomes 238Np, which decays by negative beta decay to become 238Pu. Some synthetic elements are produced by fusion.
How does the mass number of an atom change when its nucleus absorbs a neutron?
Essentially the 3 basic parts to an atom are a Proton, Neutron and an Electron. Protons have a unit of mass and a positive charge Neutrons have a unit of mass and a neutral charge Electrons have no unit of mass and a negative charge. When a neutron breaks off from another atom it becomes a free radical that is then absorbed by the receiving atom because it would have a spare neutron space because the number of neutrons must be identical to the number of protons otherwise the atom will radioactivity decay. Essentially the mass number changes because the neutron has a mass.
A free-moving neutron is absorbed by the nucleus of an atom. This can cause?
the atom to become unstable and rip apart
Which part of an atom is free to move?
Because atoms are in everything!
In nuclear fission reactions what causes the atom's nucleus to become unstable?
the absorption of a free-moving neutron by the atom's nucleus
Covalent bonds form between hydrogen and oxygen atoms in a water molecule as a result of the?
Ionization of the hydrogen atoms, which draw to it an oxygen atom; one oxygen atom to two hydrogen atoms. Each oxygen atom has two free electrons while each hydrogen atom has one free electron. The hydrogen atoms form a weak polar bond.
Where do the electrons come from in proton proton chain reaction if hydrogen has only a proton in its atom?
when the 2 Hydrogen nuclei fuse, one of the protons is changed to a neutron via beta + decay, this produces an atom of Deuterium, a positron (beta + particle) and a neutrino. This positron will only travel a short distance before contacting an electron and annihilating each other to convert their masses and kinetic energies into the energy of the photons. The electron is most probably a free electron, as the high temperatures involved in Nuclear fusion would have provided enough energy to ionise electrons from their parent atom.
How do nuclear fusion and nuclear fission work?
The absorption of a free moving neutron by the atom's nucleus
