Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...
(
12Mg) naturally occurs in three stable isotopes: , , and . There are 19 radioisotopes that have been discovered, ranging from to (with the exception of ). The longest-lived radioisotope is with a half-life of . The lighter isotopes mostly decay to isotopes of
sodium
Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...
while the heavier isotopes decay to isotopes of
aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
. The shortest-lived is
proton-unbound with a half-life of .
A precise measurement of the neutron-rich
40Mg in 2019 showed the unexpected difference in its nuclear structure, compared to the lighter neighboring isotopes.
List of isotopes
, -id=Magnesium-18
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[Used in ]radiodating
Radiometric dating, radioactive dating or radioisotope dating is a technique which is used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they were formed. The method compares t ...
events early in the Solar System's history
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, rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 18
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, rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 19
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, rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12
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[Decay mode shown is energetically allowed, but has not been experimentally observed to occur in this nuclide.]
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, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 23
, rowspan=3,
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−n ()
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, β
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, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 24
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, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 25
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, rowspan=3,
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 26
, rowspan=3, #
, rowspan=3, 3.1(4 (
stat), 2 (
sys)) ms
, β
−n (81%)
,
, rowspan=3, 0+
, rowspan=3,
, rowspan=3,
, -
, β
− (9%)
,
, -
, β
−2n (9%)
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, -
, rowspan=3,
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12
, rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 28
, rowspan=3, #
, rowspan=3, 1# ms
, β
− ?
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, β
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, β
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, -
External links
Magnesium isotopes data from ''The Berkeley Laboratory Isotopes Project's''
See also
Daughter products other than magnesium
*
Isotopes of aluminum
Aluminium or ''aluminum'' (13Al) has 23 known isotopes from 21Al to 43Al and 4 known isomers. Only 27Al (stable isotope) and 26Al (radioactive isotope, t1/2 = ) occur naturally, however 27Al comprises nearly all natural aluminium. Other than 26 ...
*
Isotopes of sodium
There are 20 isotopes of sodium (11Na), ranging from to (except for the still-unknown 36Na and 38Na), and five isomers (two for , and one each for , , and ). is the only stable (and the only primordial) isotope. It is considered a monoisotopi ...
*
Isotopes of neon
Neon (10Ne) possesses three stable isotopes: , , and . In addition, 17 radioactive isotopes have been discovered, ranging from to , all short-lived. The longest-lived is with a half-life of . All others are under a minute, most under a second. ...
*
Isotopes of fluorine
Fluorine (9F) has 19 known isotopes ranging from to and two isomers ( and ). Only fluorine-19 is stable and naturally occurring in more than trace quantities; therefore, fluorine is a monoisotopic and mononuclidic element.
The longest-lived r ...
*
Isotopes of oxygen
There are three known stable isotopes of oxygen (8O): , , and .
Radioactive isotopes ranging from to have also been characterized, all short-lived. The longest-lived radioisotope is with a half-life of , while the shortest-lived isotope i ...
References
{{Navbox element isotopes
Magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...