Isotopes of zinc

Naturally occurring zinc (₃₀Zn) is composed of the 5 stable isotopes ⁶⁴Zn, ⁶⁶Zn, ⁶⁷Zn, ⁶⁸Zn, and ⁷⁰Zn with ⁶⁴Zn being the most abundant (48.6% natural abundance). Twenty-five radioisotopes have been characterised with the most abundant and stable being ⁶⁵Zn with a half-life of 244.26 days, and ⁷²Zn with a half-life of 46.5 hours. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 14 hours and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than 1 second. This element also has 10 meta states.

Main isotopes of zinc (₃₀Zn)

Iso­tope Decay abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct ^64Zn 49.2% stable ^65Zn syn 244 d ε ^65Cu γ – ^66Zn 27.7% stable ^67Zn 4.0% stable ^68Zn 18.5% stable ^69Zn syn 56 min β^− ^69Ga ^69mZn syn 13.8 h β^− ^69Ga ^70Zn 0.6% stable ^71Zn syn 2.4 min β^− ^71Ga ^71mZn syn 4 h β^− ^71Ga ^72Zn syn 46.5 h β^− ^72Ga
Standard atomic weight Ar, standard(Zn)	65.38(2)[1]

Zinc has been proposed as a "salting" material for nuclear weapons. A jacket of isotopically enriched ⁶⁴Zn, irradiated by the intense high-energy neutron flux from an exploding thermonuclear weapon, would transmute into the radioactive isotope ⁶⁵Zn with a half-life of 244 days and produce approximately 1.115 MeV[2] of gamma radiation, significantly increasing the radioactivity of the weapon's fallout for several years. Such a weapon is not known to have ever been built, tested, or used.[3]

List of isotopes

Nuclide [n 1]	Z	N	Isotopic mass (Da) [n 2][n 3]	Half-life [n 4]	Decay mode [n 5]	Daughter isotope [n 6]	Spin and parity [n 7][n 4]	Natural abundance (mole fraction)
	Excitation energy							Normal proportion	Range of variation
^54Zn	30	24	53.99295(43)#		2p	^52Ni	0+
^55Zn	30	25	54.98398(27)#	20# ms [>1.6 μs]	2p	^53Ni	5/2−#
					β^+	^55Cu
^56Zn	30	26	55.97238(28)#	36(10) ms	β^+	^56Cu	0+
^57Zn	30	27	56.96479(11)#	38(4) ms	β^+, p (65%)	^56Ni	7/2−#
					β^+ (35%)	^57Cu
^58Zn	30	28	57.95459(5)	84(9) ms	β^+, p (60%)	^57Ni	0+
					β^+ (40%)	^58Cu
^59Zn	30	29	58.94926(4)	182.0(18) ms	β^+ (99%)	^59Cu	3/2−
					β^+, p (1%)	^58Ni
^60Zn[n 8]	30	30	59.941827(11)	2.38(5) min	β^+	^60Cu	0+
^61Zn	30	31	60.939511(17)	89.1(2) s	β^+	^61Cu	3/2−
^61m1Zn	88.4(1) keV			<430 ms			1/2−
^61m2Zn	418.10(15) keV			140(70) ms			3/2−
^61m3Zn	756.02(18) keV			<130 ms			5/2−
^62Zn	30	32	61.934330(11)	9.186(13) h	β^+	^62Cu	0+
^63Zn	30	33	62.9332116(17)	38.47(5) min	β^+	^63Cu	3/2−
^64Zn	30	34	63.9291422(7)	Observationally Stable[n 9]			0+	0.4917(75)
^65Zn	30	35	64.9292410(7)	243.66(9) d	β^+	^65Cu	5/2−
^65mZn	53.928(10) keV			1.6(6) μs			(1/2)−
^66Zn	30	36	65.9260334(10)	Stable			0+	0.2773(98)
^67Zn	30	37	66.9271273(10)	Stable			5/2−	0.0404(16)
^68Zn	30	38	67.9248442(10)	Stable			0+	0.1845(63)
^69Zn	30	39	68.9265503(10)	56.4(9) min	β^−	^69Ga	1/2−
^69mZn	438.636(18) keV			13.76(2) h	IT (96.7%)	^69Zn	9/2+
					β^− (3.3%)	^69Ga
^70Zn	30	40	69.9253193(21)	Observationally Stable[n 10]			0+	0.0061(10)
^71Zn	30	41	70.927722(11)	2.45(10) min	β^−	^71Ga	1/2−
^71mZn	157.7(13) keV			3.96(5) h	β^− (99.95%)	^71Ga	9/2+
					IT (.05%)	^71Zn
^72Zn	30	42	71.926858(7)	46.5(1) h	β^−	^72Ga	0+
^73Zn	30	43	72.92978(4)	23.5(10) s	β^−	^73Ga	(1/2)−
^73m1Zn	195.5(2) keV			13.0(2) ms			(5/2+)
^73m2Zn	237.6(20) keV			5.8(8) s	β^−	^73Ga	(7/2+)
					IT	^73Zn
^74Zn	30	44	73.92946(5)	95.6(12) s	β^−	^74Ga	0+
^75Zn	30	45	74.93294(8)	10.2(2) s	β^−	^75Ga	(7/2+)#
^76Zn	30	46	75.93329(9)	5.7(3) s	β^−	^76Ga	0+
^77Zn	30	47	76.93696(13)	2.08(5) s	β^−	^77Ga	(7/2+)#
^77mZn	772.39(12) keV			1.05(10) s	IT (50%)	^77Zn	1/2−#
					β^− (50%)	^77Ga
^78Zn	30	48	77.93844(10)	1.47(15) s	β^−	^78Ga	0+
^78mZn	2673(1) keV			319(9) ns			(8+)
^79Zn	30	49	78.94265(28)#	0.995(19) s	β^− (98.7%)	^79Ga	(9/2+)
					β^−, n (1.3%)	^78Ga
^80Zn	30	50	79.94434(18)	545(16) ms	β^− (99%)	^80Ga	0+
					β^−, n (1%)	^79Ga
^81Zn	30	51	80.95048(32)#	290(50) ms	β^− (92.5%)	^81Ga	5/2+#
					β^−, n (7.5%)	^80Ga
^82Zn	30	52	81.95442(54)#	100# ms [>300 ns]	β^−	^82Ga	0+
^83Zn	30	53	82.96103(54)#	80# ms [>300 ns]			5/2+#

1. ^mZn – Excited nuclear isomer.
2. ( ) – Uncertainty (1σ) is given in concise form in parentheses after the corresponding last digits.
3. # – Atomic mass marked #: value and uncertainty derived not from purely experimental data, but at least partly from trends from the Mass Surface (TMS).
4. # – Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from trends of neighboring nuclides (TNN).
5. Modes of decay:

   IT:	Isomeric transition
   n:	Neutron emission
   p:	Proton emission

6. Bold symbol as daughter – Daughter product is stable.
7. ( ) spin value – Indicates spin with weak assignment arguments.
8. Final product of the silicon-burning process; its production is endothermic and accelerates the star's collapse
9. Believed to undergo β⁺β⁺ decay to ⁶⁴Ni with a half-life over 2.3×10¹⁸ a
10. Believed to undergo β⁻β⁻ decay to ⁷⁰Ge with a half-life over 1.3×10¹⁶ a

References

1. Meija, Juris; et al. (2016). "Atomic weights of the elements 2013 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. 88 (3): 265–91. doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0305.
2. Roost, E.; Funck, E.; Spernol, A.; Vaninbroukx, R. (1972). "The decay of 65Zn". Zeitschrift für Physik. 250 (5): 395–412. Bibcode:1972ZPhy..250..395D. doi:10.1007/BF01379752.
3. D. T. Win, M. Al Masum (2003). "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (PDF). Assumption University Journal of Technology. 6 (4): 199–219.

• Isotope masses from:
  • Audi, Georges; Bersillon, Olivier; Blachot, Jean; Wapstra, Aaldert Hendrik (2003), "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties", Nuclear Physics A, 729: 3–128, Bibcode:2003NuPhA.729....3A, doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001
• Isotopic compositions and standard atomic masses from:
  • Wieser, Michael E. (2006). "Atomic weights of the elements 2005 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. 78 (11): 2051–2066. doi:10.1351/pac200678112051. Lay summary.
  • Wieser, Michael E. (2006). "Atomic weights of the elements 2005 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. 78 (11): 2051–2066. doi:10.1351/pac200678112051. Lay summary.
• Half-life, spin, and isomer data selected from the following sources.
  • Audi, Georges; Bersillon, Olivier; Blachot, Jean; Wapstra, Aaldert Hendrik (2003), "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties", Nuclear Physics A, 729: 3–128, Bibcode:2003NuPhA.729....3A, doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001
  • National Nuclear Data Center. "NuDat 2.x database". Brookhaven National Laboratory.
  • Holden, Norman E. (2004). "11. Table of the Isotopes". In Lide, David R. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (85th ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9.

External links

• Zinc isotopes data from The Berkeley Laboratory Isotopes Project's