How long does an atom live?

Answer 1

It depends on which isotope of which element you are talking about. Carbon's isotope C-12 lasts forever because it is a stable, non-radioactive element. Carbon's other isotope, C-15, however, lasts only 2.5 seconds after it appears into existence. Therefore, because different isotopes of different atoms last different amounts of times, it is impossible to say how long an atom lives because there are so many different elements. However, if you take a look at the link provided, you can pick an element from any of those, scroll down the page a little bit, and there should be a data table. It tells how long that element's isotope lives.