Atom the nucleus defines to what chemical element the atom belongs: for example, all copper atoms contain 29 protons. The number of neutrons defines the isotope of the element. The number of electrons influences the magnetic properties of an atom. Atoms can attach to one or more other atoms by chemical bonds to form chemical compounds such as molecules. The ability of atoms to associate and dissociate is responsible for most of the physical changes observed in nature and is the subject of the discipline of chemistry. The idea that matter is made up of discrete units is a very old
Empire of the Atom bodily" from the plot of "I, Claudius". A genealogy chart of the ruling family of the Empire of Linn is included. Van Vogt based "Empire of the Atom" largely on the plot of "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves, putting it into a science-fictional setting. The work was originally presented as five novelettes published in "Astounding Science Fiction" between May 1946 and December 1947. Some time, a little over 10,000 years from now, a noblewoman gives birth to a deformed child, a consequence of having been accidentally exposed to radiation from one of the temples of the Atom Gods. The baby