A question about atoms

[khaled]

Now if an atom shatters, it will result in smaller atoms and some rays, as what happen in an atomic explosion,

 

But what if an atom lose all of its electrons, and remain like that .. is that possible, and what would happen next ?

[swansont]

Now if an atom shatters, it will result in smaller atoms and some rays, as what happen in an atomic explosion,

 

But what if an atom lose all of its electrons, and remain like that .. is that possible, and what would happen next ?

 

It's very hard to do, and it would not remain like that — it will attract electrons and/or negative ions, even stripping electrons from surrounding atoms if the charge is high enough or in close enough proximity.

[imatfaal]

I guess total and longterm stripping of electrons from nuclei happens in electron degeneracy - in a white dwarf the pressure and temperate leads to the formation of a degenerate gas in which bare nuclei exist in a gas of electrons. it is the electron degeneracy pressure which prevents the star from collapsing any further (chandrasekhar limit)

[Enthalpy]

I believe to understand - but may be wrong - that in a white dwarf, electron density is bigger than in an atom. It would be the case as soon as matter is denser than a solid. So the nucleus wouldn't really be isolated from the electrons; it's rather that one couldn't tell "this electron belongs to this nucleus".

 

A nucleus stripped from all electrons doesn't occur naturally on Earth, and happens only to light nuclei in normal stars. They are produced for ion accelerators for instance. Little uses to happen to such stripped nuclei, but at least one exception is known: beta radioactivity (one neutron transforms into a proton and an electron) can accelerate a lot then, because the electron can jump to a low orbital of the atom, as this orbital is vacant. This shortens and lowers the energy barrier the electron has to tunnel through. It's one rare example where humans can influence radioactivity. Sonoluminescence has been reported to influence the rate of electron capture radioactivity, but I believe this hasn't been confirmed.