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There are 20 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 ...
(11Na), ranging from to (except for the still-unknown 36Na and 38Na), and five
isomers In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the existence or possibili ...
(two for , and one each for , , and ). is the only
stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...
(and the only primordial) isotope. It is considered a monoisotopic element and it has a
standard atomic weight The standard atomic weight of a chemical element (symbol ''A''r°(E) for element "E") is the weighted arithmetic mean of the relative isotopic masses of all isotopes of that element weighted by each isotope's abundance on Earth. For example, ...
of . Sodium has two
radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is conside ...
cosmogenic Cosmogenic nuclides (or cosmogenic isotopes) are rare nuclides (isotopes) created when a high-energy cosmic ray interacts with the nucleus of an ''in situ'' Solar System atom, causing nucleons (protons and neutrons) to be expelled from the atom ( ...
isotopes (, with a
half-life Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * Half-Life (film), ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * ''Half Life: ...
of ; and , with a half-life of ). With the exception of those two isotopes, all other isotopes have
half-lives Half-life is a mathematical and scientific description of exponential or gradual decay. Half-life, half life or halflife may also refer to: Film * ''Half-Life'' (film), a 2008 independent film by Jennifer Phang * '' Half Life: A Parable for t ...
under a minute, most under a second. The shortest-lived is the unbound , with a half-life of seconds (although the half-life of the similarly unbound 17Na is not measured). Acute neutron radiation exposure (e.g., from a nuclear
criticality accident A criticality accident is an accidental uncontrolled nuclear fission chain reaction. It is sometimes referred to as a critical excursion, critical power excursion, divergent chain reaction, or simply critical. Any such event involves the uninten ...
) converts some of the stable (in the form of Na+ ion) in human blood plasma to . By measuring the concentration of this isotope, the neutron radiation dosage to the victim can be computed. is a
positron The positron or antielectron is the particle with an electric charge of +1''elementary charge, e'', a Spin (physics), spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and the same Electron rest mass, mass as an electron. It is the antiparticle (antimatt ...
-emitting isotope with a remarkably long half-life. It is used to create test-objects and point-sources for
positron emission tomography Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging technique that uses radioactive substances known as radiotracers to visualize and measure changes in metabolic processes, and in other physiological activities including blood flow, r ...
.


List of isotopes

, - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 6 , , , p , , (1/2+) , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 7 , , , p ?Decay mode shown has been observed, but its intensity is not known experimentally. , , 1−# , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 8 , , > , p , , (5/2+) , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 9 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β+ () , , rowspan=2, 2+ , rowspan=2, , - , β+α () , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 10 , , , β+ , , 3/2+ , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β+ () , , rowspan=2, 3+ , rowspan=2, Trace
Cosmogenic nuclide Cosmogenic nuclides (or cosmogenic isotopes) are rare nuclides (isotopes) created when a high-energy cosmic ray interacts with the nucleus of an '' in situ'' Solar System atom, causing nucleons (protons and neutrons) to be expelled from the atom ...
, - , ε () , , -id=Sodium-22m1 , style="text-indent:1em" , , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , , , IT , , 1+ , , -id=Sodium-22m2 , style="text-indent:1em" , , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , , , IT , , 0+ , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 12 , , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 3/2+ , style="text-align:center", , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 13 , , , β , , 4+ , Trace , -id=Sodium-24m , rowspan=2 style="text-indent:1em" , , rowspan=2 colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , , rowspan=2, , IT () , , rowspan=2, 1+ , rowspan=2, , - , β () , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 14 , , , β , , 5/2+ , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 11 , style="text-align:right" , 15 , , , β , , 3+ , , -id=Sodium-26m , style="text-indent:1em" , , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , , , IT , , 1+ , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 16 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β () , , rowspan=2, 5/2+ , rowspan=2, , - , βn () , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 17 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β () , , rowspan=2, 1+ , rowspan=2, , - , βn () , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 18 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β () , , rowspan=3, 3/2+ , rowspan=3, , - , βn () , , - , β2n ?Decay mode shown is energetically allowed, but has not been experimentally observed to occur in this nuclide. , ? , - , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 19 , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4, , β () , , rowspan=4, 2+ , rowspan=4, , - , βn () , , - , β2n () , , - , βα () , , - , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 20 , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4, , β (> ) , , rowspan=4, 3/2+ , rowspan=4, , - , βn () , , - , β2n () , , - , β3n (< ) , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 21 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β () , , rowspan=3, (3−) , rowspan=3, , - , βn () , , - , β2n () , , -id=Sodium-32m , style="text-indent:1em" , , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , , , IT , , (0+,6−) , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 22 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , βn () , , rowspan=3, (3/2+) , rowspan=3, , - , β () , , - , β2n () , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 23 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β2n (~) , , rowspan=3, 1+ , rowspan=3, , - , β (~) , , - , βn (~) , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 24 , rowspan=3, # , rowspan=3, , β , , rowspan=3, 3/2+# , rowspan=3, , - , βn ? , ? , - , β2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 26 , rowspan=3, # , rowspan=3, 1# ms , β ? , ? , rowspan=3, 3/2+# , rowspan=3, , - , βn ? , ? , - , β2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 11 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 28 , rowspan=3, # , rowspan=3, 1# ms , β ? , ? , rowspan=3, 3/2+# , rowspan=3, , - , βn ? , ? , - , β2n ? , ? , -


Sodium-22

Sodium-22 is a
radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is conside ...
isotope of sodium, undergoing
positron emission Positron emission, beta plus decay, or β+ decay is a subtype of radioactive decay called beta decay, in which a proton inside a radionuclide nucleus is converted into a neutron while releasing a positron and an electron neutrino (). Positron emi ...
to with a half-life of . is being investigated as an efficient generator of "cold
positron The positron or antielectron is the particle with an electric charge of +1''elementary charge, e'', a Spin (physics), spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and the same Electron rest mass, mass as an electron. It is the antiparticle (antimatt ...
s" (
antimatter In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding subatomic particle, particles in "ordinary" matter, and can be thought of as matter with reversed charge and parity, or go ...
) to produce
muon A muon ( ; from the Greek letter mu (μ) used to represent it) is an elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 '' e'' and a spin of  ''ħ'', but with a much greater mass. It is classified as a ...
s for catalyzing fusion of deuterium. It is also commonly used as a positron source in
positron annihilation spectroscopy The positron or antielectron is the particle with an electric charge of +1''elementary charge, e'', a Spin (physics), spin of 1/2 (the same as the electron), and the same Electron rest mass, mass as an electron. It is the antiparticle (antimatt ...
.


Sodium-23

Sodium-23 is an isotope of sodium with an atomic mass of 22.98976928. It is the only
stable isotope Stable nuclides are Isotope, isotopes of a chemical element whose Nucleon, nucleons are in a configuration that does not permit them the surplus energy required to produce a radioactive emission. The Atomic nucleus, nuclei of such isotopes are no ...
of sodium and also the only primordial isotope. Because of its abundance, sodium-23 is used in
nuclear magnetic resonance Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a physical phenomenon in which nuclei in a strong constant magnetic field are disturbed by a weak oscillating magnetic field (in the near field) and respond by producing an electromagnetic signal with a ...
in various research fields, including materials science and battery research. Sodium-23 relaxation has applications in studying cation-biomolecule interactions, intracellular and extracellular sodium, ion transport in batteries, and quantum information processing.


Sodium-24

Sodium-24 is radioactive and can be created from common sodium-23 by
neutron activation Neutron activation is the process in which neutron radiation induces radioactivity in materials, and occurs when atomic nuclei capture free neutrons, becoming heavier and entering excited states. The excited nucleus decays immediately by emi ...
. With a half-life of , decays to by emission of an
electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
and two
gamma ray A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol ), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from high energy interactions like the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei or astronomical events like solar flares. It consists o ...
s. Exposure of the human body to intense
neutron radiation Neutron radiation is a form of ionizing radiation that presents as free neutrons. Typical phenomena are nuclear fission or nuclear fusion causing the release of free neutrons, which then react with nuclei of other atoms to form new nuclides— ...
creates in the
blood plasma Blood plasma is a light Amber (color), amber-colored liquid component of blood in which blood cells are absent, but which contains Blood protein, proteins and other constituents of whole blood in Suspension (chemistry), suspension. It makes up ...
. Measurements of its quantity can be done to determine the absorbed radiation dose of a patient. This can be used to determine the type of medical treatment required. When sodium is used as coolant in
fast breeder reactor A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. These reactors can be Nuclear fuel, fueled with more-commonly available isotopes of uranium and Isotopes of thorium, thorium, such as uranium-238 and t ...
s, is created, which makes the coolant radioactive. When the decays, it causes a buildup of magnesium in the coolant. Since the half-life is short, the portion of the coolant ceases to be radioactive within a few days after removal from the reactor. Leakage of the hot sodium from the primary loop may cause radioactive fires, as it can ignite in contact with air (and explodes in contact with water). For this reason the primary cooling loop is within a containment vessel. Sodium has been proposed as a casing for a
salted bomb A salted bomb is a nuclear weapon designed to function as a radiological weapon by producing larger quantities of radioactive fallout than unsalted nuclear arms. This fallout can render a large area uninhabitable. The term is derived both from th ...
, as it would convert to and produce intense gamma-ray emissions for a few days.


See also

Daughter products other than sodium * Isotopes of magnesium * Isotopes of neon *
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 ...


Notes


References


External links


Sodium isotopes data from ''The Berkeley Laboratory Isotopes Project's''
{{Navbox element isotopes Sodium
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 ...