Isotopes of copper
Encyclopedia
Copper
(Cu) has two stable isotopes, 63Cu and 65Cu, along with 27 radioisotopes. The most stable of these is 67Cu with a half-life
of 61.83 hours. The least stable is 54Cu with a half-life of approximately 75 ns. Most have half-lives under a minute. Unstable copper isotopes with atomic masses below 63 tend to undergo β+ decay
, while isotopes with atomic masses above 65 tend to undergo β− decay
. 64Cu decays by both β+ and β−.
68Cu, 69Cu, 71Cu, 72Cu, and 76Cu each have one metastable isomer. 70Cu has two isomers, making a total of 7 distinct isomers. The most stable of these is 68mCu with a half-life of 3.75 minutes. The least stable is 69mCu with a half-life of 360 ns.
Standard atomic mass: 63.546(3) u.
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
(Cu) has two stable isotopes, 63Cu and 65Cu, along with 27 radioisotopes. The most stable of these is 67Cu with a half-life
Half-life
Half-life, abbreviated t½, is the period of time it takes for the amount of a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name was originally used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms , but it may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.The original term, dating to...
of 61.83 hours. The least stable is 54Cu with a half-life of approximately 75 ns. Most have half-lives under a minute. Unstable copper isotopes with atomic masses below 63 tend to undergo β+ decay
Positron emission
Positron emission or beta plus decay is a type of beta decay in which a proton is converted, via the weak force, to a neutron, releasing a positron and a neutrino....
, while isotopes with atomic masses above 65 tend to undergo β− decay
Beta decay
In nuclear physics, beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle is emitted from an atom. There are two types of beta decay: beta minus and beta plus. In the case of beta decay that produces an electron emission, it is referred to as beta minus , while in the case of a...
. 64Cu decays by both β+ and β−.
68Cu, 69Cu, 71Cu, 72Cu, and 76Cu each have one metastable isomer. 70Cu has two isomers, making a total of 7 distinct isomers. The most stable of these is 68mCu with a half-life of 3.75 minutes. The least stable is 69mCu with a half-life of 360 ns.
Standard atomic mass: 63.546(3) u.
Table
| nuclide symbol |
Z(p Proton The proton is a subatomic particle with the symbol or and a positive electric charge of 1 elementary charge. One or more protons are present in the nucleus of each atom, along with neutrons. The number of protons in each atom is its atomic number.... ) |
N(n Neutron The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of... ) |
isotopic mass (u) |
half-life | decay mode(s)Abbreviations: IT: Isomeric transition Isomeric transition An isomeric transition is a radioactive decay process that involves emission of a gamma ray from an atom where the nucleus is in an excited metastable state, referred to in its excited state, as a nuclear isomer.... |
daughter isotope(s)Bold for stable isotopes |
nuclear spin |
representative isotopic composition (mole fraction) |
range of natural variation (mole fraction) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| excitation energy | |||||||||
| 52Cu | 29 | 23 | 51.99718(28)# | p Proton emission Proton emission is a type of radioactive decay in which a proton is ejected from a nucleus. Proton emission can occur from high-lying excited states in a nucleus following a beta decay, in which case the process is known as beta-delayed proton emission, or can occur from the ground state of very... |
51Ni | (3+)# | |||
| 53Cu | 29 | 24 | 52.98555(28)# | <300 ns | p | 52Ni | (3/2-)# | ||
| 54Cu | 29 | 25 | 53.97671(23)# | <75 ns | p | 53Ni | (3+)# | ||
| 55Cu | 29 | 26 | 54.96605(32)# | 40# ms [>200 ns] | β+ Beta decay In nuclear physics, beta decay is a type of radioactive decay in which a beta particle is emitted from an atom. There are two types of beta decay: beta minus and beta plus. In the case of beta decay that produces an electron emission, it is referred to as beta minus , while in the case of a... |
55Ni | 3/2-# | ||
| p | 54Ni | ||||||||
| 56Cu | 29 | 27 | 55.95856(15)# | 93(3) ms | β+ | 56Ni | (4+) | ||
| 57Cu | 29 | 28 | 56.949211(17) | 196.3(7) ms | β+ | 57Ni | 3/2- | ||
| 58Cu | 29 | 29 | 57.9445385(17) | 3.204(7) s | β+ | 58Ni | 1+ | ||
| 59Cu | 29 | 30 | 58.9394980(8) | 81.5(5) s | β+ | 59Ni | 3/2- | ||
| 60Cu | 29 | 31 | 59.9373650(18) | 23.7(4) min | β+ | 60Ni | 2+ | ||
| 61Cu | 29 | 32 | 60.9334578(11) | 3.333(5) h | β+ | 61Ni | 3/2- | ||
| 62Cu | 29 | 33 | 61.932584(4) | 9.673(8) min | β+ | 62Ni | 1+ | ||
| 63Cu | 29 | 34 | 62.9295975(6) | Stable | 3/2- | 0.6915(15) | 0.68983-0.69338 | ||
| 64Cu Copper-64 Copper-64 is a radioactive nuclide of copper which has unique decay properties making it useful in nuclear medicine for both imaging and therapy.-Properties:... |
29 | 35 | 63.9297642(6) | 12.700(2) h | β+ (61%) | 64Ni | 1+ | ||
| β- (39%) | 64Zn | ||||||||
| 65Cu | 29 | 36 | 64.9277895(7) | Stable | 3/2- | 0.3085(15) | 0.30662-0.31017 | ||
| 66Cu | 29 | 37 | 65.9288688(7) | 5.120(14) min | β- | 66Zn | 1+ | ||
| 67Cu | 29 | 38 | 66.9277303(13) | 61.83(12) h | β- | 67Zn | 3/2- | ||
| 68Cu | 29 | 39 | 67.9296109(17) | 31.1(15) s | β- | 68Zn | 1+ | ||
| 68mCu | 721.6(7) keV | 3.75(5) min | IT Isomeric transition An isomeric transition is a radioactive decay process that involves emission of a gamma ray from an atom where the nucleus is in an excited metastable state, referred to in its excited state, as a nuclear isomer.... (84%) |
68Cu | (6-) | ||||
| β- (16%) | 68Zn | ||||||||
| 69Cu | 29 | 40 | 68.9294293(15) | 2.85(15) min | β- | 69Zn | 3/2- | ||
| 69mCu | 2741.8(10) keV | 360(30) ns | (13/2+) | ||||||
| 70Cu | 29 | 41 | 69.9323923(17) | 44.5(2) s | β- | 70Zn | (6-) | ||
| 70m1Cu | 101.1(3) keV | 33(2) s | β- | 70Zn | (3-) | ||||
| 70m2Cu | 242.6(5) keV | 6.6(2) s | 1+ | ||||||
| 71Cu | 29 | 42 | 70.9326768(16) | 19.4(14) s | β- | 71Zn | (3/2-) | ||
| 71mCu | 2756(10) keV | 271(13) ns | (19/2-) | ||||||
| 72Cu | 29 | 43 | 71.9358203(15) | 6.6(1) s | β- | 72Zn | (1+) | ||
| 72mCu | 270(3) keV | 1.76(3) µs | (4-) | ||||||
| 73Cu | 29 | 44 | 72.936675(4) | 4.2(3) s | β- (>99.9%) | 73Zn | (3/2-) | ||
| β-, n Neutron emission Neutron emission is a type of radioactive decay of atoms containing excess neutrons, in which a neutron is simply ejected from the nucleus. Two examples of isotopes which emit neutrons are helium-5 and beryllium-13... (<.1%) |
72Zn | ||||||||
| 74Cu | 29 | 45 | 73.939875(7) | 1.594(10) s | β- | 74Zn | (1+,3+) | ||
| 75Cu | 29 | 46 | 74.94190(105) | 1.224(3) s | β- (96.5%) | 75Zn | (3/2-)# | ||
| β-, n (3.5%) | 74Zn | ||||||||
| 76Cu | 29 | 47 | 75.945275(7) | 641(6) ms | β- (97%) | 76Zn | (3,5) | ||
| β-, n (3%) | 75Zn | ||||||||
| 76mCu | 0(200)# keV | 1.27(30) s | β- | 76Zn | (1,3) | ||||
| 77Cu | 29 | 48 | 76.94785(43)# | 469(8) ms | β- | 77Zn | 3/2-# | ||
| 78Cu | 29 | 49 | 77.95196(43)# | 342(11) ms | β- | 78Zn | |||
| 79Cu | 29 | 50 | 78.95456(54)# | 188(25) ms | β-, n (55%) | 78Zn | 3/2-# | ||
| β- (45%) | 79Zn | ||||||||
| 80Cu | 29 | 51 | 79.96087(64)# | 100# ms [>300 ns] | β- | 80Zn | |||