BINDING ENERGY

Nuclear binding energy is the energy required to separate an atomic nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons . It is also the energy that would be released by combining individual protons and neutrons into a single nucleus. Electron binding energy, or {{link=ionization potential">ionization potential , is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom , molecule , or ion , and also the energy released when an electron joins an atom, molecule, or ion. The binding energy of a single proton or neutron in a nucleus is about a million times greater than that of a single electron in an atom.