Answer to Question #21566 in Atomic and Nuclear Physics for Aziz

Question

When an Uranium-238 decays emitting an alpha particle (Helium nucleus), it only loses the nucleons.
92 U 238 ----> 2 He 4 + 90 Th 234
Here, the Uranium has only lost its nucleus because the alpha particle comprises only the helium nucleus. But they say the electrons before decay is equal to the total electrons after decay. While decaying the Uranium has lost only its nucleus. What about the electrons? And how they say that the total charge is conserved?