Radioactive decay

• Radioactive decay: A radioisotope (unstable arrangement of neutrons and protons) is altered to make a more stable arrangement.
• In radioactive decay, the parent nucleus becomes a daughter nucleus and a particle (decay products).
• The nucleus changes when undergoing alpha or beta decay
• Alpha decay: An element with a proton number 2 lower and nucleon number 4 lower, and an alpha particle is made (2p + 2n)
• Beta decay: A neutron changes into a proton, an electron and an antineutrino so an element with the same nucleon number but with a proton number 1 higher
• Gamma emission:

  • By itself causes no change in mass number or atomic number; they just emit energy
  • Some isotopes do not change in mass or atomic number however they emit energy as their particles rearrange themselves to become more stable