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... unstable nuclei. With an alpha decay an atomic nucleus breaks up and it emits an alpha particle, which contains two protons and two neutrons which is equivalent to a helium-4 nucleus. Figure 1 In beta decay, a neutron in the nucleus of an atom is changed to a proton and electron. The electron is released as a beta particle. Figure 2 Figure 3 A nuclear physicist did experiments, which involve bombarding atoms of heavy elements with low energy neutrons. Neutrons are uncharged and so are not deflected by the electrically charged electrons outside or by protons inside nuclei. This makes them good ammunition for hitting an atomic nucleus hoping it would fuse with it and make the nucleus heavier. The physicist hoped to make heavier new elements than uranium. Nuclear fission reactions differ from radioactive decay, both in a way which the reaction must be started and in the type of products formed. It can be ...