The chemical properties of a substance (in different phrases what different atoms will it bond with, whether it is liquid at room temperature, if it is flammable, and so on) are essentially determined by the electrons on the outermost vitality level of the atom. Beta decay either will increase or decreases the atomic variety of the nucleus by one. An atomic variety of 1 means the atom is hydrogen, atomic number 2 means helium, 3 means lithium, 4 is beryllium, and so on. The entire number of protons and neutrons added collectively is called the relative atomic mass.

In 1897 English physicist, J. J. Thomson, urged that cathode rays consisted of negatively charged particles even smaller than atoms. That is how a laser prices the atoms inside the gas medium...