How can I degrade a solid object into atoms?

Let's say I want to take a paper bag, and just degrade it into a bunch of atoms. Or into molecules. Is this possible? And how can I do it?





Only way I can think of is burning it, but is there another way?How can I degrade a solid object into atoms?
Find a chemical that reacts with it. This would result in chemical compounds/molecules not originally in the bag, though...but the same is true for burning.How can I degrade a solid object into atoms?
What makes an object solid is that the atoms and molecules grab onto one another. So to atomize it, you make it not a solid anymore.





As for your paper bag, I can't think of any way other than burning. It would take a lot of heat to get the mollecules to just let go of one another--more than what it takes to burn (break the mollecules apart).