 Quote by troy611
@Bob S...so you mean in this particular decay, no alpha particles are formed?
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In this type of decay, alpha particles certainly are formed, and they move a few (or tens or hundreds) of microns before they stop. Of all the elements, helium (of which the alpha particle is the nucleus) has the highest ionization energy (~ 24 eV) and so the helium ion has the highest affinity for grabbing electrons. When the alpha particle stops, it will steal two electrons from the U-238 and become a helium molecule in the U-238.
Bob S