Helium and Hydrogen aside, I know if an atom has less neutrons than protons, it’s considered unstable, and is therefore radioactive. But don’t radioactive atoms emit neutrons, which would only make them more unstable? I read some comment on another site that said the protons are the ones that are emitted, but wouldn’t that change the element itself?
In: Chemistry
When an element emits nuclear radiation, it does in fact break down into a different, smaller element or elements.
This is the very basis of radioactive decay and half life.
Half life means in a certain amount of time, half of the elements would have decayed into something else, and in the process, releasing radiation as it decays.
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