Can an element decay?

Yes, the decay half-life of a radioactive material can be changed. Radioactive decay happens when an unstable atomic nucleus spontaneously changes to a lower-energy state and spits out a bit of radiation. This process changes the atom to a different element or a different isotope.

Do all atoms decay?

No. Stable atoms do not decay. The only problem is that it is very difficult to tell whether a particular isotope is stable or just extremely long at decaying.

Do all elements have radioactive decay?

Radioactive decay is seen in all isotopes of all elements of atomic number 83 (bismuth) or greater. Bismuth-209, however, is only very slightly radioactive, with a half-life greater than the age of the universe; radioisotopes with extremely long half-lives are considered effectively stable for practical purposes.

Does the proton decay?

[+] To the best of our understanding, the proton is a truly stable particle, and has never been observed to decay. Because of the various conservation laws of particle physics, a proton can only decay into lighter particles than itself.

Does Matter ever decay?

Anytime that you have a heavy atom, there is some risk that it will spontaneously start to break down into smaller particles. This is known as “radioactive decay.” This is just a very basic breakdown. Please see the link for more on radioactive decay.

Can you speed up nuclear decay?

The rate of this kind of decay depends on the chance of an electron straying into the nucleus and getting absorbed. So increasing the density of electrons surrounding the atomic nucleus can speed up the decay.

Do Atoms last forever?

As it turns out, atoms do have a finite lifespan, because protons have a finite lifespan. Eventually, protons will decay into short lived subatomic particles. This will happen in 10^32 years. Or 100 nonillion years.