alpha decay, type of radioactive disintegration in which some unstable atomic nuclei dissipate excess energy by spontaneously ejecting an alpha particle. Because alpha particles have two positive charges and a mass of four units, their emission from nuclei produces daughter nuclei having a positive nuclear charge or atomic number two units less than their parents and a mass of four units less. Thus polonium-210 (mass number 210 and atomic number 84, i.e., a nucleus with 84 protons) decays by alpha emission to lead-206 (atomic number 82).
The speed and hence the energy of an alpha particle ejected from a given nucleus is a specific property of the parent nucleus and determines the characteristic range or distance the alpha particle travels. Though ejected at speeds of about one-tenth that of light, alpha particles are not very penetrating. They have ranges in air of only about one to four inches (corresponding to an energy range of about 4 million to 10 million electron volts).
The principal alpha emitters are found among the elements heavier than bismuth (atomic number 83) and also among the rare-earth elements from neodymium (atomic number 60) to lutetium (atomic number 71). Half-lives for alpha decay range from about a microsecond (10−6 second) to about 1017 seconds.