Isotopes of nickel
Encyclopedia
Naturally occurring nickel
(Ni) is composed of five stable isotope
s; , , , and with being the most abundant (68.077% natural abundance
). 58Ni may decay by double beta-plus decay to 58Fe. 26 radioisotopes have been characterised with the most stable being with a half-life
of 76,000 years, with a half-life of 100.1 years, and with a half-life of 6.077 days. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 60 hours and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than 30 seconds. This element also has 1 meta state.
The isotopes of nickel range in atomic weight
from to .
Nickel-48, discovered in 1999, is the most neutron-poor nickel isotope known. With 28 proton
s and 20 neutron
s is "doubly magic" (like ) and therefore unusually stable.
Nickel-56 is produced in large quantities in type Ia supernova
e and the shape of the light curve
of these supernovae corresponds to the decay of nickel-56 to cobalt
-56 and then to iron-56
.
Nickel-58 is the most abundant isotope
of nickel, making up 68.077% of the natural abundance
. Possible sources include electron capture
from copper-58 and EC
+ p
from zinc-59.
Nickel-59 is a long-lived cosmogenic radionuclide
with a half-life of 76,000 years. has found many applications in isotope geology. has been used to date the terrestrial age of meteorite
s and to determine abundances of extraterrestrial dust in ice and sediment
.
Nickel-60 is the daughter product of the extinct radionuclide
(half-life = 2.6 Ma). Because had such a long half-life, its persistence in materials in the solar system
at high enough concentrations may have generated observable variations in the isotopic composition of . Therefore, the abundance of present in extraterrestrial material may provide insight into the origin of the solar system and its early history/very early history. Unfortunately, nickel isotopes appear to have been heterogeneously distributed in the early solar system. Therefore, so far, no actual age information has been attained from excesses. Other sources may also include beta decay
from Cobalt-60
and electron capture
from Copper-60.
Nickel-62 has the highest binding energy
per nucleon of any isotope for any element, when including the electron shell in the calculation. More energy is released forming this isotope than any other, although fusion can form heavier isotopes. For instance, two atoms can fuse to form plus 4 electrons, liberating 77 keV per nucleon, but reactions leading to the iron/nickel region are more probable as they release more energy per baryon.
Nickel-64 is another isotope of nickel. Possible sources include beta decay
from cobalt-64, and electron capture
from copper-64
Nickel-78 is the element's heaviest isotope and is believed to have an important involvement in supernova nucleosynthesis
of elements heavier than iron.
Standard atomic mass: 58.6934(2) u
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
(Ni) is composed of five stable isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
s; , , , and with being the most abundant (68.077% natural abundance
Natural abundance
In chemistry, natural abundance refers to the abundance of isotopes of a chemical element as naturally found on a planet. The relative atomic mass of these isotopes is the atomic weight listed for the element in the periodic table...
). 58Ni may decay by double beta-plus decay to 58Fe. 26 radioisotopes have been characterised with the most stable being 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 76,000 years, with a half-life of 100.1 years, and with a half-life of 6.077 days. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 60 hours and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than 30 seconds. This element also has 1 meta state.
The isotopes of nickel range in atomic weight
Atomic weight
Atomic weight is a dimensionless physical quantity, the ratio of the average mass of atoms of an element to 1/12 of the mass of an atom of carbon-12...
from to .
Nickel-48, discovered in 1999, is the most neutron-poor nickel isotope known. With 28 proton
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....
s and 20 neutron
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...
s is "doubly magic" (like ) and therefore unusually stable.
Nickel-56 is produced in large quantities in type Ia supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
e and the shape of the light curve
Light curve
In astronomy, a light curve is a graph of light intensity of a celestial object or region, as a function of time. The light is usually in a particular frequency interval or band...
of these supernovae corresponds to the decay of nickel-56 to cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
-56 and then to iron-56
Iron-56
Iron-56 is the most common isotope of iron. About 91.754% of all iron is iron-56.Of all isotopes, iron-56 has the lowest mass per nucleon. With 8.8 MeV binding energy per nucleon, iron-56 is one of the most tightly bound nuclei....
.
Nickel-58 is the most abundant isotope
Isotope
Isotopes are variants of atoms of a particular chemical element, which have differing numbers of neutrons. Atoms of a particular element by definition must contain the same number of protons but may have a distinct number of neutrons which differs from atom to atom, without changing the designation...
of nickel, making up 68.077% of the natural abundance
Natural abundance
In chemistry, natural abundance refers to the abundance of isotopes of a chemical element as naturally found on a planet. The relative atomic mass of these isotopes is the atomic weight listed for the element in the periodic table...
. Possible sources include electron capture
Electron capture
Electron capture is a process in which a proton-rich nuclide absorbs an inner atomic electron and simultaneously emits a neutrino...
from copper-58 and EC
Electron capture
Electron capture is a process in which a proton-rich nuclide absorbs an inner atomic electron and simultaneously emits a neutrino...
+ 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...
from zinc-59.
Nickel-59 is a long-lived cosmogenic radionuclide
Radionuclide
A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy available to be imparted either to a newly created radiation particle within the nucleus or to an atomic electron. The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay, and emits gamma...
with a half-life of 76,000 years. has found many applications in isotope geology. has been used to date the terrestrial age of meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s and to determine abundances of extraterrestrial dust in ice and sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
.
Nickel-60 is the daughter product of the extinct radionuclide
Extinct radionuclide
An extinct radionuclide is one that scientists believe was formed by primordial processes, such as stellar nucleogenesis in the supernova that contributed radioisotopes to the early solar system, about 4.6 billion years ago...
(half-life = 2.6 Ma). Because had such a long half-life, its persistence in materials in the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
at high enough concentrations may have generated observable variations in the isotopic composition of . Therefore, the abundance of present in extraterrestrial material may provide insight into the origin of the solar system and its early history/very early history. Unfortunately, nickel isotopes appear to have been heterogeneously distributed in the early solar system. Therefore, so far, no actual age information has been attained from excesses. Other sources may also include beta 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...
from Cobalt-60
Cobalt-60
Cobalt-60, , is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt. Due to its half-life of 5.27 years, is not found in nature. It is produced artificially by neutron activation of . decays by beta decay to the stable isotope nickel-60...
and electron capture
Electron capture
Electron capture is a process in which a proton-rich nuclide absorbs an inner atomic electron and simultaneously emits a neutrino...
from Copper-60.
Nickel-62 has the highest binding energy
Binding energy
Binding energy is the mechanical energy required to disassemble a whole into separate parts. A bound system typically has a lower potential energy than its constituent parts; this is what keeps the system together—often this means that energy is released upon the creation of a bound state...
per nucleon of any isotope for any element, when including the electron shell in the calculation. More energy is released forming this isotope than any other, although fusion can form heavier isotopes. For instance, two atoms can fuse to form plus 4 electrons, liberating 77 keV per nucleon, but reactions leading to the iron/nickel region are more probable as they release more energy per baryon.
Nickel-64 is another isotope of nickel. Possible sources include beta 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...
from cobalt-64, and electron capture
Electron capture
Electron capture is a process in which a proton-rich nuclide absorbs an inner atomic electron and simultaneously emits a neutrino...
from copper-64
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:...
Nickel-78 is the element's heaviest isotope and is believed to have an important involvement in supernova nucleosynthesis
Supernova nucleosynthesis
Supernova nucleosynthesis is the production of new chemical elements inside supernovae. It occurs primarily due to explosive nucleosynthesis during explosive oxygen burning and silicon burning...
of elements heavier than iron.
Standard atomic mass: 58.6934(2) 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 | |||||||||
| 28 | 20 | 48.01975(54)# | 10# ms [>500 ns] |
0+ | |||||
| 28 | 21 | 49.00966(43)# | 13(4) ms [12(+5-3) ms] |
7/2-# | |||||
| 28 | 22 | 49.99593(28)# | 9.1(18) ms | 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... |
50Co | 0+ | |||
| 28 | 23 | 50.98772(28)# | 30# ms [>200 ns] |
β+ | 51Co | 7/2-# | |||
| 28 | 24 | 51.97568(9)# | 38(5) ms | β+ (83%) | 52Co | 0+ | |||
| β+, 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... (17%) |
51Fe | ||||||||
| 28 | 25 | 52.96847(17)# | 45(15) ms | β+ (55%) | 53Co | (7/2-)# | |||
| β+, p (45%) | 52Fe | ||||||||
| 28 | 26 | 53.95791(5) | 104(7) ms | β+ | 54Co | 0+ | |||
| 28 | 27 | 54.951330(12) | 204.7(17) ms | β+ | 55Co | 7/2- | |||
| 28 | 28 | 55.942132(12) | 6.075(10) d | β+ | 0+ | ||||
| 28 | 29 | 56.9397935(19) | 35.60(6) h | β+ | 3/2- | ||||
| 28 | 30 | 57.9353429(7) | Observationally StableBelieved to decay by β+β+ to 58Fe with a half-life over 700×1018 years | 0+ | 0.680769(89) | ||||
| 28 | 31 | 58.9343467(7) | 7.6(5)×104 a | β+ | 3/2- | ||||
| 28 | 32 | 59.9307864(7) | Stable | 0+ | 0.262231(77) | ||||
| 28 | 33 | 60.9310560(7) | Stable | 3/2- | 0.011399(6) | ||||
| Highest binding energy Binding energy Binding energy is the mechanical energy required to disassemble a whole into separate parts. A bound system typically has a lower potential energy than its constituent parts; this is what keeps the system together—often this means that energy is released upon the creation of a bound state... per nucleon Nucleon In physics, a nucleon is a collective name for two particles: the neutron and the proton. These are the two constituents of the atomic nucleus. Until the 1960s, the nucleons were thought to be elementary particles... of all nuclides |
28 | 34 | 61.9283451(6) | Stable | 0+ | 0.036345(17) | |||
| 28 | 35 | 62.9296694(6) | 100.1(20) a | β- | 1/2- | ||||
| 87.15(11) keV | 1.67(3) µs | 5/2- | |||||||
| 28 | 36 | 63.9279660(7) | Stable | 0+ | 0.009256(9) | ||||
| 28 | 37 | 64.9300843(7) | 2.5172(3) h | β- | 5/2- | ||||
| 63.37(5) keV | 69(3) µs | 1/2- | |||||||
| 28 | 38 | 65.9291393(15) | 54.6(3) h | β- | 0+ | ||||
| 28 | 39 | 66.931569(3) | 21(1) s | β- | 1/2- | ||||
| 1007(3) keV | 13.3(2) µs | β- | 9/2+ | ||||||
| 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.... |
67Ni | ||||||||
| 28 | 40 | 67.931869(3) | 29(2) s | β- | 0+ | ||||
| 1770.0(10) keV | 276(65) ns | 0+ | |||||||
| 2849.1(3) keV | 860(50) µs | 5- | |||||||
| 28 | 41 | 68.935610(4) | 11.5(3) s | β- | 9/2+ | ||||
| 321(2) keV | 3.5(4) s | β- | (1/2-) | ||||||
| IT | 69Ni | ||||||||
| 2701(10) keV | 439(3) ns | (17/2-) | |||||||
| 28 | 42 | 69.93650(37) | 6.0(3) s | β- | 0+ | ||||
| 2860(2) keV | 232(1) ns | 8+ | |||||||
| 28 | 43 | 70.94074(40) | 2.56(3) s | β- | 1/2-# | ||||
| 28 | 44 | 71.94209(47) | 1.57(5) s | β- (>99.9%) | 0+ | ||||
| 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%) |
|||||||||
| 28 | 45 | 72.94647(32)# | 0.84(3) s | β- (>99.9%) | (9/2+) | ||||
| β-, n (<.1%) | |||||||||
| 28 | 46 | 73.94807(43)# | 0.68(18) s | β- (>99.9%) | 0+ | ||||
| β-, n (<.1%) | |||||||||
| 28 | 47 | 74.95287(43)# | 0.6(2) s | β- (98.4%) | (7/2+)# | ||||
| β-, n (1.6%) | |||||||||
| 28 | 48 | 75.95533(97)# | 470(390) ms [0.24(+55-24) s] |
β- (>99.9%) | 0+ | ||||
| β-, n (<.1%) | |||||||||
| 28 | 49 | 76.96055(54)# | 300# ms [>300 ns] |
β- | 9/2+# | ||||
| 28 | 50 | 77.96318(118)# | 120# ms [>300 ns] |
β- | 0+ | ||||
See also
- Nickel-62Nickel-62Nickel-62 is an isotope of nickel having 28 protons and 34 neutrons.It is a stable isotope, with the highest binding energy per nucleon of any known nuclide . It is often stated that 56Fe is the "most stable nucleus", but actually 56Fe has the lowest mass per nucleon of all nuclides...