Question

What is the difference between a transmutation reaction and a radioactive decay reaction?

Answer 1

Transmutation means that the components involved in the reaction must change. These occur in nuclear reactions where an element is changed into a different element.

An example of this:
(197)Au + n > (198)Au > (198)Hg
Where gold is bombarded by neutrons, takes on in, raises its number of particles and then proceeds to become mercury. This can continue with proper resources.

Radioactive decay is the process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves. This decay, or loss of energy, results in an atom of one type, called the parent nuclide transforming to an atom of a different type, called the daughter nuclide. For example: a carbon-14 atom (the "parent") emits radiation and transforms to a nitrogen-14 atom (the "daughter"). This is a random process on the atomic level, in that it is impossible to predict when a particular atom will decay, but given a large number of similar atoms, the decay rate, on average, is predictable.