Magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element with the 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 of the periodic ta ...

(₁₂Mg) naturally occurs in three stable isotopes: , , and . There are 19 radioisotopes that have been discovered, ranging from to . The longest-lived radioisotope is with a half-life of . The lighter isotopes mostly decay to isotopes of

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable iso ...

while the heavier isotopes decay to isotopes of

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

. The shortest-lived is proton-unbound with a half-life of , though the half-life of similarly unbound has not been measured. Magnesium chart

List of isotopes

, - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 6 , , , 2p , , 0+ , , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 7 , , , 2p , , 1/2−# , , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 8 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β⁺ () , , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁺p () , , - , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" , 9 , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4, , β⁺ () , , rowspan=4, 5/2+ , rowspan=4, , rowspan=4, , - , β⁺p () , , - , β⁺α () , , - , β⁺pα () , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 10 , , , β⁺ , , 0+ , , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 11 , , , β⁺ , , 3/2+ , , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 12 , , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 0+ , colspan=2 align=center, , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 13 , , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 5/2+ , colspan=2 align=center, , - , 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 , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 14 , , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 0+ , colspan=2 align=center, , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 15 , , , β⁻ , , 1/2+ , , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 16 , , , β⁻ , , 0+ , , , - , , style="text-align:right" , 12 , style="text-align:right" , 17 , , , β⁻ , , 3/2+ , , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 18 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β⁻ (> ) , , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻n (< ) , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 19 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β⁻ () , , rowspan=2, 1/2+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻n () , , - , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 20 , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , β⁻ () , , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻n () , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 21 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β⁻ () , , rowspan=3, 3/2− , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻n () , , - , β⁻2n ?Decay mode shown is energetically allowed, but has not been experimentally observed to occur in this nuclide. , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 22 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β⁻ (> ) , , rowspan=3, 0+ , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻n () , , - , β⁻2n (< ) , , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 23 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β⁻n () , , rowspan=3, (3/2−, 5/2−) , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻ () , , - , β⁻2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 24 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β⁻ () , , rowspan=3, 0+ , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻n () , , - , β⁻2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 25 , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , β⁻ ? , ? , rowspan=3, (3/2−) , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻n ? , ? , - , β⁻2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 26 , rowspan=3, # , rowspan=3, 2# ms , β⁻ (100# %) , # , rowspan=3, 0+ , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻n ? , ? , - , β⁻2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=2, ?This isotope has not yet been definitively observed; given data is inferred or estimated from periodic trends. , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 27 , rowspan=2, # , rowspan=2, < , n ? , ? , rowspan=2, 7/2−# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻ ? , ? , - , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" , 28 , rowspan=3, # , rowspan=3, 1# ms , β⁻ ? , ? , rowspan=3, 0+ , rowspan=3, , rowspan=3, , - , β⁻n ? , ? , - , β⁻2n ? , ? , - , rowspan=2, ? , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 12 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 29 , rowspan=2, # , rowspan=2, , β⁻ ? , ? , rowspan=2, 3/2−# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻n ? , ?

External links

Magnesium isotopes data from ''The Berkeley Laboratory Isotopes Project's''

References

{{Navbox element isotopes Magnesium