There are three types of radioactive decay, alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha decay is when an unstable, or radioactive, nucleus gives off an alpha particle, which consists of two protons and two neutrons. Beta decay is when a nucleus gives of a positron or an electron, called a beta particle, and gamma decay is when a nucleus gives off a gamma ray. A gamma ray is a highly energetic photon of light.
that depends..hope you dont fall asleep halfway through reading this. starting with alpha-radiation. Alpha particles are helium nuclei so it has an Atomic Mass of 4 and atomic number of 2. It has 2 neutrons and 2 protons. An atom, after losing an alpha particle will turn into an atom with an atomic number of 2 less than its original and an atomic mass of 4 less than the original (just simple subtraction.) For example, Uranium with a mass number of 238 and atomic number of 92, after going through alpha decay will turn to thallium with an atomic number of 90 and a mass number of 234. Beta radiation: Beta particles are high-energy electrons so they have a atomic mass of 0 and an atomic number of -1 (because it has a -1 charge) so the element will have an atomic number of 1 higher than the original atomic number and the atomic mass is the same. Example: Carbon-14 decays into Nitrogen-14. It may seem strange how this atom seemed to gain a proton, but only because a neutron, which is a proton and an electron, broke apart and the electron was the radiation while the proton stayed in the atom.
When Alpha particle comes out then the nucleus would lose two protons and two neutrons. So the atomic number decreases by 2 and mass number by 4.
If beta particle comes out then one proton is formed due to disappearance of a neutron. So atomic number increases by one but no change in mass number. Thus Uranium as it gives out alpha particle it changes into Thorium.
Same way as Uranium gives out beta particle then it is shifted to Neptunium.
When 226radium undergoes alpha decay it becomes 222radon. Note that an alpha particle is composed of two protons and two neutrons. Note also that that the alpha particle is also a helium-4 nucleus. There are 4 nucleons (protons or neutrons) in the alpha particle (or helium-4 nucleus). If we look at 226radium and subtract 4 from the 226, we get 222. The 4 comes from the total number of protons and neutrons in the alpha particle. And since there are two protons in that alpha particle, the radium atom changes into an element that has two protons less than radium. That's radon.
Radon and a whole bunch of other stuff but mostly radon
It depends on which isotope. Each is different. Please restate the question, and be specific as to which isotope you are interested in.
Radium-226 undergoes alpha decay to produce radon-222 plus one alpha particle and heat.
Usually into one other isotope, sometimes more than one. The new isotope is usually an isotope of a different element.