Isotopes of zinc

Isotopes of zinc (30Zn)
Main isotopes[1] Decay
abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct
64Zn 49.2% stable
65Zn synth 244 d β+ 65Cu
66Zn 27.7% stable
67Zn 4% stable
68Zn 18.5% stable
69Zn synth 56 min β− 69Ga
69mZn synth 13.8 h β− 69Ga
70Zn 0.6% stable
71Zn synth 2.4 min β− 71Ga
71mZn synth 4 h β− 71Ga
72Zn synth 46.5 h β− 72Ga
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Zn)

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-eight radioisotopes have been characterised with the most stable being 65Zn with a half-life of 244.26 days, and then 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.

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[4] 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.[5]

List of isotopes


Nuclide
[n 1] 		Z N Isotopic mass (Da)[6]
[n 2][n 3] 		Half-life[1]
[n 4] 		Decay
mode[1]
[n 5] 		Daughter
isotope
[n 6] 		Spin and
parity[1]
[n 7][n 4] 		Natural abundance (mole fraction)
Excitation energy Normal proportion[1] Range of variation
54Zn 30 24 53.99388(23)# 1.8(5) ms 2p 52Ni 0+
55Zn 30 25 54.98468(43)# 19.8(13) ms β+, p (91.0%) 54Ni 5/2−#
β+ (9.0%) 55Cu
56Zn 30 26 55.97274(43)# 32.4(7) ms β+, p (88.0%) 55Ni 0+
β+ (12.0%) 56Cu
57Zn 30 27 56.96506(22)# 45.7(6) ms β+, p (87%) 56Ni 7/2−#
β+ (13%) 57Cu
58Zn 30 28 57.954590(54) 86.0(19) ms β+ (99.3%) 58Cu 0+
β+, p (0.7%) 57Ni
59Zn 30 29 58.94931189(81) 178.7(13) ms β+ (99.90%) 59Cu 3/2−
β+, p (0.10%) 58Ni
60Zn 30 30 59.94184132(59) 2.38(5) min β+ 60Cu 0+
61Zn 30 31 60.939507(17) 89.1(2) s β+ 61Cu 3/2−
62Zn 30 32 61.93433336(66) 9.193(15) h β+ 62Cu 0+
63Zn 30 33 62.9332111(17) 38.47(5) min β+ 63Cu 3/2−
64Zn 30 34 63.92914178(69) Observationally Stable[n 8] 0+ 0.4917(75)
65Zn 30 35 64.92924053(69) 243.94(4) d EC (98.579(7)%) 65Cu 5/2−
β+ (1.421(7)%)[7]
65mZn 53.928(10) keV 1.6(6) μs IT 65Zn 1/2−
66Zn 30 36 65.92603364(80) Stable 0+ 0.2773(98)
67Zn 30 37 66.92712742(81) Stable 5/2− 0.0404(16)
67m1Zn 93.312(5) keV 9.15(7) μs IT 67Zn 1/2−
67m2Zn 604.48(5) keV 333(14) ns IT 67Zn 9/2+
68Zn 30 38 67.92484423(84) Stable 0+ 0.1845(63)
69Zn 30 39 68.92655036(85) 56.4(9) min β− 69Ga 1/2−
69mZn 438.636(18) keV 13.747(11) h IT (99.97%) 69Zn 9/2+
β− (0.033%) 69Ga
70Zn 30 40 69.9253192(21) Observationally Stable[n 9] 0+ 0.0061(10)
71Zn 30 41 70.9277196(28) 2.40(5) min β− 71Ga 1/2−
71mZn 157.7(13) keV 4.148(12) h β− 71Ga 9/2+
IT? 71Zn
72Zn 30 42 71.9268428(23) 46.5(1) h β− 72Ga 0+
73Zn 30 43 72.9295826(20) 24.5(2) s β− 73Ga 1/2−
73mZn 195.5(2) keV 13.0(2) ms IT 73Zn 5/2+
74Zn 30 44 73.9294073(27) 95.6(12) s β− 74Ga 0+
75Zn 30 45 74.9328402(21) 10.2(2) s β− 75Ga 7/2+
75mZn 126.94(9) keV 5# s β−? 75Ga 1/2−
IT? 75Zn
76Zn 30 46 75.9331150(16) 5.7(3) s β− 76Ga 0+
77Zn 30 47 76.9368872(21) 2.08(5) s β− 77Ga 7/2+
77mZn 772.440(15) keV 1.05(10) s β− (66%) 77Ga 1/2−
IT (34%) 77Zn
78Zn 30 48 77.9382892(21) 1.47(15) s β− 78Ga 0+
β−, n? 77Ga
78mZn 2673.7(6) keV 320(6) ns IT 78Zn (8+)
79Zn 30 49 78.9426381(24) 746(42) ms β− (98.3%) 79Ga 9/2+
β−, n (1.7%) 78Ga
79mZn 942(10) keV[8] >200 ms β−? 79Ga 1/2+
IT? 79Zn
80Zn 30 50 79.9445529(28) 562.2(30) ms β− (98.64%) 80Ga 0+
β−, n (1.36%) 79Ga
81Zn 30 51 80.9504026(54) 299.4(21) ms β− (77%) 81Ga (1/2+, 5/2+)
β−, n (23%) 80Ga
β−, 2n? 79Ga
82Zn 30 52 81.9545741(33) 177.9(25) ms β−, n (69%) 81Ga 0+
β− (31%) 82Ga
β−, 2n? 80Ga
83Zn 30 53 82.96104(32)# 100(3) ms β−, n (71%) 82Ga 3/2+#
β− (29%) 83Ga
β−, 2n? 81Ga
84Zn 30 54 83.96583(43)# 54(8) ms β−, n (73%) 83Ga 0+
β− (27%) 84Ga
β−, 2n? 82Ga
85Zn 30 55 84.97305(54)# 40# ms [>400 ns] β−? 85Ga 5/2+#
β−, n? 84Ga
β−, 2n? 83Ga
86Zn[9] 30 56 85.97846(54)# β−? 86Ga 0+
β−, n? 85Ga
87Zn[9] 30 57
This table header & footer:
  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. ^ a b # – 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. ^ Believed to undergo β+β+ decay to 64Ni with a half-life over 6.0×1016 y
  9. ^ Believed to undergo β−β− decay to 70Ge with a half-life over 3.8×1018 y

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.
  2. ^ "Standard Atomic Weights: Zinc". CIAAW. 2007.
  3. ^ Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (2022-05-04). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603. ISSN 1365-3075.
  4. ^ 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. S2CID 124728537.
  5. ^ D. T. Win, M. Al Masum (2003). "Weapons of Mass Destruction" (PDF). Assumption University Journal of Technology. 6 (4): 199–219.
  6. ^ Wang, Meng; Huang, W.J.; Kondev, F.G.; Audi, G.; Naimi, S. (2021). "The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references*". Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030003. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddaf.
  7. ^ "65Zn ε decay" (PDF). NNDC Chart of Nuclides.
  8. ^ Nies, L.; Canete, L.; Dao, D. D.; Giraud, S.; Kankainen, A.; Lunney, D.; Nowacki, F.; Bastin, B.; Stryjczyk, M.; Ascher, P.; Blaum, K.; Cakirli, R. B.; Eronen, T.; Fischer, P.; Flayol, M.; Girard Alcindor, V.; Herlert, A.; Jokinen, A.; Khanam, A.; Köster, U.; Lange, D.; Moore, I. D.; Müller, M.; Mougeot, M.; Nesterenko, D. A.; Penttilä, H.; Petrone, C.; Pohjalainen, I.; de Roubin, A.; Rubchenya, V.; Schweiger, Ch.; Schweikhard, L.; Vilen, M.; Äystö, J. (30 November 2023). "Further Evidence for Shape Coexistence in Zn 79 m near Doubly Magic Ni 78". Physical Review Letters. 131 (22). arXiv:2310.16915. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.222503.
  9. ^ a b Shimizu, Y.; Kubo, T.; Sumikama, T.; Fukuda, N.; Takeda, H.; Suzuki, H.; Ahn, D. S.; Inabe, N.; Kusaka, K.; Ohtake, M.; Yanagisawa, Y.; Yoshida, K.; Ichikawa, Y.; Isobe, T.; Otsu, H.; Sato, H.; Sonoda, T.; Murai, D.; Iwasa, N.; Imai, N.; Hirayama, Y.; Jeong, S. C.; Kimura, S.; Miyatake, H.; Mukai, M.; Kim, D. G.; Kim, E.; Yagi, A. (8 April 2024). "Production of new neutron-rich isotopes near the N = 60 isotones Ge 92 and As 93 by in-flight fission of a 345 MeV/nucleon U 238 beam". Physical Review C. 109 (4). doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.109.044313.