Free neutron
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| Free neutron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | |
| Name, symbol | free neutron, 1n |
| Neutrons | 1 |
| Protons | 0 |
| Nuclide Data | |
| Natural abundance | synthetic |
| Half-life | 614.1 ± 1.3 seconds |
| Decay products | proton, electron, antineutrino |
| Isotope mass | 1.0086649 u |
| Spin | 1/2+ |
| Excess energy | 8071.323 ± 0.002 keV |
| Binding energy | 0.000 ± 0.000 keV |
| Decay mode | Decay energy |
| Beta emission | 0.782353 MeV |
| User:ABCD/if2 | |
| User:ABCD/if2 | |
| User:ABCD/if2 | |
A free neutron is a neutron that exists outside of an atomic nucleus. While neutrons can be stable when bound inside nuclei, free neutrons are unstable and decay with a half-life of about ten minutes. The only possible decay mode is into a proton, an electron, and an electron antineutrino:
Even though it is not a chemical element, the free neutron is often included in tables of isotopes. It is then considered to have an atomic number of zero and a mass number of one.
Nuclear reactors are designed to produce free neutrons in copious amounts; their role is to sustain the energy-producing chain reaction. The intense neutron radiation is also used to produce various radioisotopes through the process of neutron activation.
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See Also
| Nothing | Isotopes of just neutrons | Dineutron |
| Produced from: Many nuclear reactions | Decay chain | Decays to: Hydrogen-1 |
