system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is there a maximum size for atoms?

Of course large atoms are very radioactive and unstable, but I was wondering if there is any theoretical limit to the size of an atom even if it only exists for a trillionth of a second?
gpt
Yes there is, but we're not exactly sure how big. With unstable nuclei, adding more protons and neutrons still leads to a very short-lived nucleus which then decays. However, if you add two many protons or neutrons, you get to a point where they're just not bound anymore. This is called proton drip and neutron drip. Anyway eventually there's a point where neither protons nor neutrons can be added and still become bound.

There's also an electron limit, where the binding energy of new electrons is greater than the rest energy (mc^2 ) of the electron, and electron-positron pairs can get created out of the vacuum to neutralize the atom.