Why does gamma decay leave an atom’s chemical identity unchanged?

Gamma decay leaves an atom’s chemical identity unchanged because the process does not alter the number of protons in the atomic nucleus.

In gamma decay, an unstable nucleus that is in an excited, high-energy state dissipates its excess energy by emitting a high-energy photon, known as a gamma ray. Unlike alpha decay or beta decay, which change the number of protons or neutrons and thereby transform the atom into a different chemical element, gamma decay involves only a transition from a higher to a lower energy state within the same nucleus. Because the proton count remains constant, the chemical identity of the atom remains the same.123