Free neutron
| 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 mode | Beta emission |
| Decay energy | 0.782353 MeV |
| 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 |
A free neutron is a neutron that exists outside of a nucleus. It is unstable and must undergo decay in order to reach a state of stability. A free neutron has a half-life of about ten minutes. The decay products of the free neutron are an electron, a proton, and an antineutrino. A free neutron is considered a subatomic particle.
A free neutron has an atomic number of zero and a mass number of one. Even though it does not have a proton, a free neutron is often listed as an isotope in data tables.
See Also
| Nothing | Isotopes of just neutrons | Dineutron |
| Produced from: Many nuclear reactions | Decay chain | Decays to: Hydrogen-1 |
Categories: Chemical isotope