The phrase "atom may be" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts discussing the potential or possibility of something related to atoms, such as in scientific or theoretical discussions.
Example: "In certain conditions, an atom may be able to exist in a superposition state."
Alternatives: "an atom could be" or "an atom might be".
Finally, an orbital electron in a radioactive atom may be captured by the nucleus and taken into it.
A pair of electrons located on the nitrogen atom may be used to form a chemical bond to a Lewis acid such as boron trifluoride (BF3).
Since 1911 it has been known that a complex atom may be thought of as a swarm of light, negatively charged electrons surrounding a nucleus which is about 50,000 times smaller than the atom itself.
Substitution of a hydrogen atom by a fluorine atom may change the conformational preferences of the molecules due to stereoelectronic effects and also fluorine atom may be able to exert the metabolic obstruction reducing the "first-pass effect".
It was found that in heterocyclic compounds, the most stable binding site for Hg2+ is N atom instead of S atom, although the S atom may be kinetically favored due to the lower spatial hindrance, larger detection radius with longer Hg2+ S bond length, and closer softness between Hg2+ and S groups.
The relatively recent emergence of biophysics as a scientific discipline may be attributed, in particular, to the spectacular success of biophysical tools in unravelling the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), the fundamental hereditary material, and in establishing the precisely detailed structure of proteins such as hemoglobin in order that the position of each atom may be known.
The energies of atomic levels are affected by external magnetic and electric fields in which atoms may be situated.
The intervening sp3-hybridized carbon atoms may be spin-polarized.
Boron and nitrogen atoms may be incorporated into carbon nanotube walls.
If that angle is forcibly changed to squeeze carbon atoms into some desired pattern, the electronic bond between the atoms may be strained, and the electronic linkages between atoms may be impeded or blocked altogether.
By means of any of these various mechanisms, several atoms may be sputtered for each ion incident on the target.
