Neutron

Properties

Outside the nucleus, neutrons are unstable and have a mean lifetime of 886 seconds (about 15 minutes), decaying by emitting an electron and antineutrino to become a proton. Neutrons in this unstable form are known as free neutrons. The same decay method (beta decay) occurs in some nuclei. Particles inside the nucleus are typically resonances between neutrons and protons, which transform into one another by the emission and absorption of pions. A neutron is classified as a baryon, and consists of two down quarks and one up quark. The neutron's antimatter equivalent is the antineutron.

Related Topics:
Mean lifetime - Electron - Antineutrino - Free neutrons - Beta decay - Pion - Baryon - Quark - Antimatter - Antineutron

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The number of neutrons determines the isotope of an element. (For example, the carbon-12 isotope has 6 protons and 6 neutrons, while the carbon-14 isotope has 6 protons and 8 neutrons.) Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have the same atomic number but different masses due to a different number of neutrons.

Related Topics:
Isotope - Carbon-12 - Carbon-14

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