Isotopes of tin
Encyclopedia
Tin
(Sn) is the element with the greatest number of stable isotopes (ten), which is probably related to the fact that 50 is a "magic number
" of protons. 29 additional unstable isotopes are known, including the "doubly magic" tin-100 (100Sn) (discovered in 1994) and tin-132 (132Sn). The longest-lived radioisotope is 126Sn with a half-life of 230,000 years. All other radioisotopes have half-lives less than a year.
of tin
with a halflife of 43.9 years. In a normal thermal reactor
, it has a very low fission product yield
; thus, this isotope is not a significant contributor to nuclear waste.
Fast fission
or fission of some heavier actinides will produce 121mSn at higher yields.
and one of only 7 long-lived fission product
s. While tin-126's halflife of 230,000 years translates to a low specific activity
that limits its radioactive hazard, its short-lived decay product
, antimony-126
, emits high-energy gamma radiation, making external exposure to tin-126 a potential concern.
126Sn is in the middle of the mass range for fission products. Thermal reactor
s, which make up almost all current nuclear power plant
s, produce it at a very low yield (such as 0.0236% or 0.06%), since slow neutrons almost always fission 235U
or 239Pu into unequal halves. Fast fission
in a fast reactor or nuclear weapon
, or fission of some heavy minor actinides
like californium
, will produce it at higher yields.
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
(Sn) is the element with the greatest number of stable isotopes (ten), which is probably related to the fact that 50 is a "magic number
Magic number (physics)
In nuclear physics, a magic number is a number of nucleons such that they are arranged into complete shells within the atomic nucleus...
" of protons. 29 additional unstable isotopes are known, including the "doubly magic" tin-100 (100Sn) (discovered in 1994) and tin-132 (132Sn). The longest-lived radioisotope is 126Sn with a half-life of 230,000 years. All other radioisotopes have half-lives less than a year.
Tin-121m
Tin-121m is a radioisotope and nuclear isomerNuclear isomer
A nuclear isomer is a metastable state of an atomic nucleus caused by the excitation of one or more of its nucleons . "Metastable" refers to the fact that these excited states have half-lives more than 100 to 1000 times the half-lives of the other possible excited nuclear states...
of tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
with a halflife of 43.9 years. In a normal thermal reactor
Thermal reactor
A thermal reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses slow or thermal neutrons. Most power reactors are of this type. These type of reactors use a neutron moderator to slow neutrons until they approach the average kinetic energy of the surrounding particles, that is, to reduce the speed of the neutrons...
, it has a very low fission product yield
Fission product yield
Nuclear fission splits a heavy nucleus such as uranium or plutonium into two lighter nuclei, which are called fission products. Yield refers to the fraction of a fission product produced per fission.Yield can be broken down by:#Individual isotope...
; thus, this isotope is not a significant contributor to nuclear waste.
Fast fission
Fast fission
Fast fission is fission that occurs when a heavy atom absorbs a high-energy neutron, called a fast neutron, and splits. Most fissionable materials need thermal neutrons, which move slower.-Fast reactors vs. thermal reactors:...
or fission of some heavier actinides will produce 121mSn at higher yields.
Tin-126
Tin-126 is a radioisotope of tinTin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and one of only 7 long-lived fission product
Long-lived fission product
Long-lived fission products are radioactive materials with a long half-life produced by nuclear fission.-Evolution of radioactivity in nuclear waste:...
s. While tin-126's halflife of 230,000 years translates to a low specific activity
Specific activity
In nuclear sciences and technologies, "activity" is the SI quantity related to the phenomenon of natural and artificial radioactivity. The SI unit of "activity" is becquerel, Bq, while that of "specific activity" is Bq/kg. The old unit of "activity" was curie, Ci, while that of "specific activity"...
that limits its radioactive hazard, its short-lived decay product
Decay product
In nuclear physics, a decay product is the remaining nuclide left over from radioactive decay. Radioactive decay often involves a sequence of steps...
, antimony-126
Isotopes of antimony
Antimony occurs in two stable isotopes, 121Sb and 123Sb. There are thirty-five artificial radioactive isotopes, the longest-lived of which are 125Sb with a half-life of 2.75856 years, 124Sb with a half-life of 60.2 days, and 126Sb with a half-life of 12.35 days...
, emits high-energy gamma radiation, making external exposure to tin-126 a potential concern.
126Sn is in the middle of the mass range for fission products. Thermal reactor
Thermal reactor
A thermal reactor is a nuclear reactor that uses slow or thermal neutrons. Most power reactors are of this type. These type of reactors use a neutron moderator to slow neutrons until they approach the average kinetic energy of the surrounding particles, that is, to reduce the speed of the neutrons...
s, which make up almost all current nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
s, produce it at a very low yield (such as 0.0236% or 0.06%), since slow neutrons almost always fission 235U
Uranium-235
- References :* .* DOE Fundamentals handbook: Nuclear Physics and Reactor theory , .* A piece of U-235 the size of a grain of rice can produce energy equal to that contained in three tons of coal or fourteen barrels of oil. -External links:* * * one of the earliest articles on U-235 for the...
or 239Pu into unequal halves. Fast fission
Fast fission
Fast fission is fission that occurs when a heavy atom absorbs a high-energy neutron, called a fast neutron, and splits. Most fissionable materials need thermal neutrons, which move slower.-Fast reactors vs. thermal reactors:...
in a fast reactor or nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
, or fission of some heavy minor actinides
Minor actinides
The minor actinides are the actinide elements in used nuclear fuel other than uranium and plutonium, which are termed the major actinides. The minor actinides include neptunium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, and fermium...
like californium
Californium
Californium is a radioactive metallic chemical element with the symbol Cf and atomic number 98. The element was first made in the laboratory in 1950 by bombarding curium with alpha particles at the University of California, Berkeley. It is the ninth member of the actinide series and was the...
, will produce it at higher yields.
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: EC: 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... 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 | |||||||||
| 99SnHeaviest known nuclide with more protons than neutrons | 50 | 49 | 98.94933(64)# | 5# ms | 9/2+# | ||||
| 100SnHeaviest known nuclide with equal numbers of protons and neutrons | 50 | 50 | 99.93904(76) | 1.1(4) s [0.94(+54-27) s] |
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... (83%) |
100In | 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%) |
99Cd | ||||||||
| 101Sn | 50 | 51 | 100.93606(32)# | 3(1) s | β+ | 101In | 5/2+# | ||
| β+, p (rare) | 100Cd | ||||||||
| 102Sn | 50 | 52 | 101.93030(14) | 4.5(7) s | β+ | 102In | 0+ | ||
| β+, p (rare) | 101Cd | ||||||||
| 102mSn | 2017(2) keV | 720(220) ns | (6+) | ||||||
| 103Sn | 50 | 53 | 102.92810(32)# | 7.0(6) s | β+ | 103In | 5/2+# | ||
| β+, p (rare) | 102Cd | ||||||||
| 104Sn | 50 | 54 | 103.92314(11) | 20.8(5) s | β+ | 104In | 0+ | ||
| 105Sn | 50 | 55 | 104.92135(9) | 34(1) s | β+ | 105In | (5/2+) | ||
| β+, p (rare) | 105Cd | ||||||||
| 106Sn | 50 | 56 | 105.91688(5) | 115(5) s | β+ | 106In | 0+ | ||
| 107Sn | 50 | 57 | 106.91564(9) | 2.90(5) min | β+ | 107In | (5/2+) | ||
| 108Sn | 50 | 58 | 107.911925(21) | 10.30(8) min | β+ | 108In | 0+ | ||
| 109Sn | 50 | 59 | 108.911283(11) | 18.0(2) min | β+ | 109In | 5/2(+) | ||
| 110Sn | 50 | 60 | 109.907843(15) | 4.11(10) h | EC Electron capture Electron capture is a process in which a proton-rich nuclide absorbs an inner atomic electron and simultaneously emits a neutrino... |
110In | 0+ | ||
| 111Sn | 50 | 61 | 110.907734(7) | 35.3(6) min | β+ | 111In | 7/2+ | ||
| 111mSn | 254.72(8) keV | 12.5(10) µs | 1/2+ | ||||||
| 112Sn | 50 | 62 | 111.904818(5) | Observationally StableBelieved to decay by β+β+ to 112Cd | 0+ | 0.0097(1) | |||
| 113Sn | 50 | 63 | 112.905171(4) | 115.09(3) d | β+ | 113In | 1/2+ | ||
| 113mSn | 77.386(19) keV | 21.4(4) 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.... (91.1%) |
113Sn | 7/2+ | ||||
| β+ (8.9%) | 113In | ||||||||
| 114Sn | 50 | 64 | 113.902779(3) | Observationally StableTheoretically capable of spontaneous fission Spontaneous fission Spontaneous fission is a form of radioactive decay characteristic of very heavy isotopes. Because the nuclear binding energy reaches a maximum at a nuclear mass greater than about 60 atomic mass units , spontaneous breakdown into smaller nuclei and single particles becomes possible at heavier masses... |
0+ | 0.0066(1) | |||
| 114mSn | 3087.37(7) keV | 733(14) ns | 7- | ||||||
| 115Sn | 50 | 65 | 114.903342(3) | Observationally Stable | 1/2+ | 0.0034(1) | |||
| 115m1Sn | 612.81(4) keV | 3.26(8) µs | 7/2+ | ||||||
| 115m2Sn | 713.64(12) keV | 159(1) µs | 11/2- | ||||||
| 116Sn | 50 | 66 | 115.901741(3) | Observationally Stable | 0+ | 0.1454(9) | |||
| 117Sn | 50 | 67 | 116.902952(3) | Observationally Stable | 1/2+ | 0.0768(7) | |||
| 117m1Sn | 314.58(4) keV | 13.76(4) d | IT | 117Sn | 11/2- | ||||
| 117m2Sn | 2406.4(4) keV | 1.75(7) µs | (19/2+) | ||||||
| 118Sn | 50 | 68 | 117.901603(3) | Observationally Stable | 0+ | 0.2422(9) | |||
| 119Sn | 50 | 69 | 118.903308(3) | Observationally Stable | 1/2+ | 0.0859(4) | |||
| 119m1Sn | 89.531(13) keV | 293.1(7) d | IT | 119Sn | 11/2- | ||||
| 119m2Sn | 2127.0(10) keV | 9.6(12) µs | (19/2+) | ||||||
| 120Sn | 50 | 70 | 119.9021947(27) | Observationally Stable | 0+ | 0.3258(9) | |||
| 120m1Sn | 2481.63(6) keV | 11.8(5) µs | (7-) | ||||||
| 120m2Sn | 2902.22(22) keV | 6.26(11) µs | (10+)# | ||||||
| 121SnFission product Fission product Nuclear fission products are the atomic fragments left after a large atomic nucleus fissions. Typically, a large nucleus like that of uranium fissions by splitting into two smaller nuclei, along with a few neutrons and a large release of energy in the form of heat , gamma rays and neutrinos. The... |
50 | 71 | 120.9042355(27) | 27.03(4) h | β- | 121Sb | 3/2+ | ||
| 121m1Sn | 6.30(6) keV | 43.9(5) a | IT (77.6%) | 121Sn | 11/2- | ||||
| β- (22.4%) | 121Sb | ||||||||
| 121m2Sn | 1998.8(9) keV | 5.3(5) µs | (19/2+)# | ||||||
| 121m3Sn | 2834.6(18) keV | 0.167(25) µs | (27/2-) | ||||||
| 122Sn | 50 | 72 | 121.9034390(29) | Observationally StableBelieved to undergo β-β- decay to 122Te | 0+ | 0.0463(3) | |||
| 123Sn | 50 | 73 | 122.9057208(29) | 129.2(4) d | β- | 123Sb | 11/2- | ||
| 123m1Sn | 24.6(4) keV | 40.06(1) min | β- | 123Sb | 3/2+ | ||||
| 123m2Sn | 1945.0(10) keV | 7.4(26) µs | (19/2+) | ||||||
| 123m3Sn | 2153.0(12) keV | 6 µs | (23/2+) | ||||||
| 123m4Sn | 2713.0(14) keV | 34 µs | (27/2-) | ||||||
| 124Sn | 50 | 74 | 123.9052739(15) | Observationally StableBelieved to undergo β-β- decay to 124Te 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... over 100×1015 years |
0+ | 0.0579(5) | |||
| 124m1Sn | 2204.622(23) keV | 0.27(6) µs | 5- | ||||||
| 124m2Sn | 2325.01(4) keV | 3.1(5) µs | 7- | ||||||
| 124m3Sn | 2656.6(5) keV | 45(5) µs | (10+)# | ||||||
| 125Sn | 50 | 75 | 124.9077841(16) | 9.64(3) d | β- | 125Sb | 11/2- | ||
| 125mSn | 27.50(14) keV | 9.52(5) min | 3/2+ | ||||||
| 126SnLong-lived fission product Long-lived fission product Long-lived fission products are radioactive materials with a long half-life produced by nuclear fission.-Evolution of radioactivity in nuclear waste:... |
50 | 76 | 125.907653(11) | 2.30(14)×105 a | β- (66.5%) | 126m2Sb | 0+ | ||
| β- (33.5%) | 126m1Sb | ||||||||
| 126m1Sn | 2218.99(8) keV | 6.6(14) µs | 7- | ||||||
| 126m2Sn | 2564.5(5) keV | 7.7(5) µs | (10+)# | ||||||
| 127Sn | 50 | 77 | 126.910360(26) | 2.10(4) h | β- | 127Sb | (11/2-) | ||
| 127mSn | 4.7(3) keV | 4.13(3) min | β- | 127Sb | (3/2+) | ||||
| 128Sn | 50 | 78 | 127.910537(29) | 59.07(14) min | β- | 128Sb | 0+ | ||
| 128mSn | 2091.50(11) keV | 6.5(5) s | IT | 128Sn | (7-) | ||||
| 129Sn | 50 | 79 | 128.91348(3) | 2.23(4) min | β- | 129Sb | (3/2+)# | ||
| 129mSn | 35.2(3) keV | 6.9(1) min | β- (99.99%) | 129Sb | (11/2-)# | ||||
| IT (.002%) | 129Sn | ||||||||
| 130Sn | 50 | 80 | 129.913967(11) | 3.72(7) min | β- | 130Sb | 0+ | ||
| 130m1Sn | 1946.88(10) keV | 1.7(1) min | β- | 130Sb | (7-)# | ||||
| 130m2Sn | 2434.79(12) keV | 1.61(15) µs | (10+) | ||||||
| 131Sn | 50 | 81 | 130.917000(23) | 56.0(5) s | β- | 131Sb | (3/2+) | ||
| 131m1Sn | 80(30)# keV | 58.4(5) s | β- (99.99%) | 131Sb | (11/2-) | ||||
| IT (.0004%) | 131Sn | ||||||||
| 131m2Sn | 4846.7(9) keV | 300(20) ns | (19/2- to 23/2-) | ||||||
| 132Sn | 50 | 82 | 131.917816(15) | 39.7(8) s | β- | 132Sb | 0+ | ||
| 133Sn | 50 | 83 | 132.92383(4) | 1.45(3) s | β- (99.97%) | 133Sb | (7/2-)# | ||
| 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... (.0294%) |
132Sb | ||||||||
| 134Sn | 50 | 84 | 133.92829(11) | 1.050(11) s | β- (83%) | 134Sb | 0+ | ||
| β-, n (17%) | 133Sb | ||||||||
| 135Sn | 50 | 85 | 134.93473(43)# | 530(20) ms | β- | 135Sb | (7/2-) | ||
| β-, n | 134Sb | ||||||||
| 136Sn | 50 | 86 | 135.93934(54)# | 0.25(3) s | β- | 136Sb | 0+ | ||
| β-, n | 135Sb | ||||||||
| 137Sn | 50 | 87 | 136.94599(64)# | 190(60) ms | β- | 137Sb | 5/2-# | ||