What makes a chemical radioactive?
An element is radioactive if its atomic nuclei are unstable. The nucleus contains protons and neutrons; the electromagnetic force pushes the protons apart because they have the same charge, but the strong nuclear force pulls the protons and neutrons together. A nucleus is only stable if it has the right balance of protons and neutrons, and doesn't have any extra energy (if it does, it is said to be in an excited state).An unstable nucleus will sooner or later change its state by undergoing radioactive decay. There are many kinds of radioactive decay, but four are particularly well known:* The nucleus may eject a cluster of two protons and two neutrons, which is called an alpha particle.* A neutron may convert into a proton by emitting an electron (in this context called a beta particle) and an antineutrino.* An excited nucleus may release energy in the form of a photon, called a gamma ray.* The nucleus may break up into two or more smaller nuclei, typically releasing one or more neutrons in the process; this is called spontaneous fission.