There is no answer for this because it depends on the atom! Yes some atoms will decay / cease to exist “naturally”, all on their own in a vacuum. But it depends on what element the atom is, and on what isotope of that element it is. Some elements/isotopes will decay in seconds, some in minutes, some in hours, some in days, months, some only very slowly over billions of years. Others appear to be stable and not decay at all, at least by any means we currently know of.
Things you can google to learn more: nuclear stability, element half-lives (a measure of how long it takes for atoms of different elements to “die naturally”)
Latest Answers