Alpha particles, essentially helium nuclei, rejected from the nucleus during alpha decay. When an unstable nucleus loses an alpha particle, it loses 2 neutrons and 2 protons, an essentially double positive unit which reduces the atomic number by 2 and the mass number by 4 of the parent nucleus.



Examples:


Alpha Decay - Uranium to Thorium

Alpha Decay - Radium to Radon

Alpha Decay - Radon to Polonium

The arithmetic is very simple in alpha decay, loss of an alpha particle removes 4 from the mass number, and 2 from the atomic number. This naturally results in the conversion of one element to another.


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