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alpha decay

Emission of alpha particles by a decaying radioactive atom

Instance of: decay mode
Subclass of: radioactive decay

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Alpha decay or α-decay is a type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle. The parent nucleus transforms or "decays" into a daughter product, with a mass number that is reduced by four and an atomic number that is reduced by two. An alpha particle is identical to the nucleus of a helium-4 atom, which consists of two protons and two neutrons. For example, uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay to form thorium-234.

Overview

All data

27 statements · 22% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Has effect: alpha particle
alpha radiation
Different from: alpha radiation
alpha particle

Data quality

statements

22%

externally sourced

Source last edited August 3, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). alpha decay (Q179856). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/alpha-decay-Q179856