Nuclear decay is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus releases particles or energy to reach a more stable configuration, distinct from electron-shell chemistry. The main types are alpha decay (emission of a helium nucleus, reducing mass number by 4 and atomic number by 2), beta decay (a neutron converts to a proton with emission of an electron, atomic number increases by 1 while mass number is unchanged), positron emission (a proton converts to a neutron with emission of a positron, atomic number decreases by 1 while mass number is unchanged), and gamma decay (release of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with no change to proton or neutron count). This topic belongs to nuclear chemistry/physics, where changes in nuclear composition—rather than electron configuration—determine elemental identity and stability.
Nuclear decay is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus releases particles or energy to reach a more stable configuration, distinct from electron-shell chemistry. The main types are alpha de…