system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Is it possible for a single, random atom to split on its own, at any time?
gpt
Yes, this happens all the time in some radioactive elements. It's called alpha decay: the atom splits into two, and one part is a helium nucleus, also called an alpha particle.  

For example, a radium atom splits into one radon atom and one alpha particle.  

If you observed a single radium 226 atom for 1600 years, it would have 50% chance of splitting in this fashion.