neut
ron
Plural
neutrons
1
a small particle with no charge present in atoms
- Neutrons act as "glue" in the nucleus, preventing proton repulsion.
- Uranium-235 has 92 protons and 143 neutrons.
- Nuclear reactors split neutrons from atoms to release energy.
- Isotopes differ only in their number of neutrons (e.g., carbon-12 vs. carbon-14).
- Free neutrons decay into protons after ~15 minutes outside an atom.