Naturally occurring zinc (₃₀Zn) is composed of the 5 stable isotopes ⁶⁴Zn, ⁶⁶Zn, ⁶⁷Zn, ⁶⁸Zn, and ⁷⁰Zn with ⁶⁴Zn being the most abundant (48.6%

natural abundance In physics, natural abundance (NA) refers to the abundance of isotopes of a chemical element as naturally found on a planet. The relative atomic mass (a weighted average, weighted by mole-fraction abundance figures) of these isotopes is the atomic ...

). Twenty-five radioisotopes have been characterised with the most abundant and stable being ⁶⁵Zn with a half-life of 244.26 days, and ⁷²Zn with a half-life of 46.5 hours. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 14 hours and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than 1 second. This element also has 10 meta states. Zinc has been proposed as a " salting" material for nuclear weapons. A jacket of isotopically enriched ⁶⁴Zn, irradiated by the intense high-energy neutron flux from an exploding thermonuclear weapon, would transmute into the radioactive isotope ⁶⁵Zn with a half-life of 244 days and produce approximately 1.115 MeV of

gamma radiation A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically s ...

, significantly increasing the radioactivity of the weapon's fallout for several years. Such a weapon is not known to have ever been built, tested, or used.

List of isotopes

, - , ⁵⁴Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 24 , 53.99295(43)# , 1.59 ms , 2p , ⁵²Ni , 0+ , , , - , rowspan=2, ⁵⁵Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 25 , rowspan=2, 54.98398(27)# , rowspan=2, 20# ms 1.6 μs, 2p , ⁵³Ni , rowspan=2, 5/2−# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁺ , ⁵⁵Cu , - , ⁵⁶Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 26 , 55.97238(28)# , 36(10) ms , β⁺ , ⁵⁶Cu , 0+ , , , - , rowspan=2, ⁵⁷Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 27 , rowspan=2, 56.96479(11)# , rowspan=2, 38(4) ms , β⁺, p (65%) , ⁵⁶Ni , rowspan=2, 7/2−# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁺ (35%) , ⁵⁷Cu , - , rowspan=2, ⁵⁸Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 28 , rowspan=2, 57.95459(5) , rowspan=2, 84(9) ms , β⁺, p (60%) , ⁵⁷Ni , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁺ (40%) , ⁵⁸Cu , - , rowspan=2, ⁵⁹Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 29 , rowspan=2, 58.94926(4) , rowspan=2, 182.0(18) ms , β⁺ (99%) , ⁵⁹Cu , rowspan=2, 3/2− , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁺, p (1%) , ⁵⁸Ni , - , ⁶⁰ZnFinal product of the

silicon-burning process In astrophysics, silicon burning is a very brief sequence of nuclear fusion reactions that occur in massive stars with a minimum of about 8–11 solar masses. Silicon burning is the final stage of fusion for massive stars that have run out of the f ...

; its production is endothermic and accelerates the star's collapse , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 30 , 59.941827(11) , 2.38(5) min , β⁺ , ⁶⁰Cu , 0+ , , , - , ⁶¹Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 31 , 60.939511(17) , 89.1(2) s , β⁺ , ⁶¹Cu , 3/2− , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^61m1Zn , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 88.4(1) keV , <430 ms , , , 1/2− , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^61m2Zn , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 418.10(15) keV , 140(70) ms , , , 3/2− , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^61m3Zn , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 756.02(18) keV , <130 ms , , , 5/2− , , , - , ⁶²Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 32 , 61.934330(11) , 9.186(13) h , β⁺ , ⁶²Cu , 0+ , , , - , ⁶³Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 33 , 62.9332116(17) , 38.47(5) min , β⁺ , ⁶³Cu , 3/2− , , , - , ⁶⁴Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 34 , 63.9291422(7) , colspan=3 align=center, Observationally StableBelieved to undergo β⁺β⁺ decay to ⁶⁴Ni with a half-life over 2.3×10¹⁸ a , 0+ , 0.4917(75) , , - , ⁶⁵Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 35 , 64.9292410(7) , 243.66(9) d , β⁺ , ⁶⁵Cu , 5/2− , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^65mZn , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 53.928(10) keV , 1.6(6) μs , , , (1/2)− , , , - , ⁶⁶Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 36 , 65.9260334(10) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 0+ , 0.2773(98) , , - , ⁶⁷Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 37 , 66.9271273(10) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 5/2− , 0.0404(16) , , - , ⁶⁸Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 38 , 67.9248442(10) , colspan=3 align=center, Stable , 0+ , 0.1845(63) , , - , ⁶⁹Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 39 , 68.9265503(10) , 56.4(9) min , β⁻ , ⁶⁹Ga , 1/2− , , , - , rowspan=2 style="text-indent:1em" , ^69mZn , rowspan=2 colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 438.636(18) keV , rowspan=2, 13.76(2) h , IT (96.7%) , ⁶⁹Zn , rowspan=2, 9/2+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻ (3.3%) , ⁶⁹Ga , - , ⁷⁰Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 40 , 69.9253193(21) , colspan=3 align=center, Observationally StableBelieved to undergo β⁻β⁻ decay to ⁷⁰Ge with a half-life over 1.3×10¹⁶ a , 0+ , 0.0061(10) , , - , ⁷¹Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 41 , 70.927722(11) , 2.45(10) min , β⁻ , ⁷¹Ga , 1/2− , , , - , rowspan=2 style="text-indent:1em" , ^71mZn , rowspan=2 colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 157.7(13) keV , rowspan=2, 3.96(5) h , β⁻ (99.95%) , ⁷¹Ga , rowspan=2, 9/2+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , IT (.05%) , ⁷¹Zn , - , ⁷²Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 42 , 71.926858(7) , 46.5(1) h , β⁻ , ⁷²Ga , 0+ , , , - , ⁷³Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 43 , 72.92978(4) , 23.5(10) s , β⁻ , ⁷³Ga , (1/2)− , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^73m1Zn , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 195.5(2) keV , 13.0(2) ms , , , (5/2+) , , , - , rowspan=2 style="text-indent:1em" , ^73m2Zn , rowspan=2 colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 237.6(20) keV , rowspan=2, 5.8(8) s , β⁻ , ⁷³Ga , rowspan=2, (7/2+) , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , IT , ⁷³Zn , - , ⁷⁴Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 44 , 73.92946(5) , 95.6(12) s , β⁻ , ⁷⁴Ga , 0+ , , , - , ⁷⁵Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 45 , 74.93294(8) , 10.2(2) s , β⁻ , ⁷⁵Ga , (7/2+)# , , , - , ⁷⁶Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 46 , 75.93329(9) , 5.7(3) s , β⁻ , ⁷⁶Ga , 0+ , , , - , ⁷⁷Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 47 , 76.93696(13) , 2.08(5) s , β⁻ , ⁷⁷Ga , (7/2+)# , , , - , rowspan=2 style="text-indent:1em" , ^77mZn , rowspan=2 colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 772.39(12) keV , rowspan=2, 1.05(10) s , IT (50%) , ⁷⁷Zn , rowspan=2, 1/2−# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻ (50%) , ⁷⁷Ga , - , ⁷⁸Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 48 , 77.93844(10) , 1.47(15) s , β⁻ , ⁷⁸Ga , 0+ , , , - , style="text-indent:1em" , ^78mZn , colspan="3" style="text-indent:2em" , 2673(1) keV , 319(9) ns , , , (8+) , , , - , rowspan=2, ⁷⁹Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 49 , rowspan=2, 78.94265(28)# , rowspan=2, 0.995(19) s , β⁻ (98.7%) , ⁷⁹Ga , rowspan=2, (9/2+) , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n (1.3%) , ⁷⁸Ga , - , rowspan=2, ⁸⁰Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 50 , rowspan=2, 79.94434(18) , rowspan=2, 545(16) ms , β⁻ (99%) , ⁸⁰Ga , rowspan=2, 0+ , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n (1%) , ⁷⁹Ga , - , rowspan=2, ⁸¹Zn , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 30 , rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" , 51 , rowspan=2, 80.95048(32)# , rowspan=2, 290(50) ms , β⁻ (92.5%) , ⁸¹Ga , rowspan=2, 5/2+# , rowspan=2, , rowspan=2, , - , β⁻, n (7.5%) , ⁸⁰Ga , - , ⁸²Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 52 , 81.95442(54)# , 100# ms 300 ns, β⁻ , ⁸²Ga , 0+ , , , - , ⁸³Zn , style="text-align:right" , 30 , style="text-align:right" , 53 , 82.96103(54)# , 80# ms 300 ns, , , 5/2+# , ,

References

* Isotope masses from: ** * Isotopic compositions and standard atomic masses from: ** ** * Half-life, spin, and isomer data selected from the following sources. ** ** **

External links

Zinc isotopes data from ''The Berkeley Laboratory Isotopes Project's''
{{Authority control Zinc