Isotopes of chromium

Isotope data
chromium symbol icon

Several Chromium isotopes are used for medical applications. Cr-50 is used for the production of the radioisotope Cr-51 which is used for measuring blood volume and red blood cell survival. Cr-53 and Cr-54 are used for the study of chromium metabolism and studies into (adult) diabetes. Chromium isotopes can be obtained from Trace Sciences International.

Naturally occurring isotopes

This table shows information about naturally occuring isotopes, their atomic masses, their natural abundances, their nuclear spins, and their magnetic moments. Further data for radioisotopes (radioactive isotopes) of chromium are listed (including any which occur naturally) below.
Isotope Atomic mass (ma/u) Natural abundance (atom %) Nuclear spin (I) Magnetic moment (μ/μN)
50Cr 49.9460464 (17) 4.345 (13) 0
52Cr 51.9405098 (17) 83.789 (18) 0
53Cr 52.9406513 (17) 9.501 (17) 3/2 -0.47454
54Cr 53.9388825 (17) 2.365 (7) 0

Isotopic abundances of Cr
In the above picture, the most intense ion is set to 100% since this corresponds best to the output from a mass spectrometer. This is not to be confused with the relative percentage isotope abundances which total 100% for all the naturally occurring isotopes.

Radiosotope data

Further data for naturally occuring isotopes of chromium are listed above. This table gives information about some radiosotopes of chromium, their masses, their half-lives, their modes of decay, their nuclear spins, and their nuclear magnetic moments.
Isotope Mass Half-life Mode of decay Nuclear spin Nuclear magnetic moment
48Cr 47.95404 21.6 h EC to 48V
49Cr 48.951341 42.3 m EC to 49V 5/2 0.476
51Cr 50.944772 27.70 d EC to 51V 7/2 -0.934
55Cr 54.940844 3.497 m β- to 55Mn 3/2
56Cr 55.94065 5.9 m β- to 56Mn 0

Sheffield ChemPuter isotope pattern calculator

You can use WebElements to calculate an isotope pattern for an arbitrary chemical formula:

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References

  1. Naturally occurring isotope abundances: Commission on Atomic Weights and Isotopic Abundances report for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry in Isotopic Compositions of the Elements 1989, Pure and Applied Chemistry, 1998, 70, 217. [Copyright 1998 IUPAC]
  2. Masses, nuclear spins, and magnetic moments: I. Mills, T. Cvitas, K. Homann, N. Kallay, and K. Kuchitsu in Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, UK, 1988. [Copyright 1988 IUPAC]
  3. For further information about radioisotopes see Jonghwa Chang's (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) Table of the Nuclides

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