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Chemistry 13 Online
OpenStudy (kaylak12345):

when gamma radiation is released from a radioactive isotope the atomic number

OpenStudy (mangotangochick):

If only gamma radiation is released then nothing happens to the atomic number, as there are no protons being released, only energy. f you are talking about it happening alongside alpha radiation In alpha: the atomic number (proton number) decreases by 2 because a helium nucleus is emitted, and a helium nucleus consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, which is also why the mass number decreases by 4.

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