Some elements emit ionising radiation so they are radioactive elements
Radioactive atoms are unstable - they break up (decay) to make themselves more stable
Unstable atoms decay at random and you can't predict when it will happen because its completely unaffected by physical processes (temperature, chemical bonding etc)
When an atom does decay it spits out one or more of three types of ioning radiation - alpha, beta, gamma
During this process, the atom often turns into a new element
Ionising radiation can transfer enough energy to break an atom or molecule into ions
Ionisaton = When theres enough energy to break an atom/molecule into ions
These ions can then go on to take part in other chemical reactions
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