Isotopes of mercury

Isotope data
mercury symbol icon

- Mercury isotopes are mainly used in the study of the deposition and emission of Hg in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In one experiment in Canada three different Hg isotopes (Hg-198, Hg-200 and Hg-202) were used to find out how the route of entry of mercury to an ecosystem affects the amount that becomes accumulated in fish. Several other trials using Hg isotopes are, or have been, undertaken in lakes in the US and Canada. Hg-202 is also used for the production of radioactive Hg-203 which is used for gamma radiation calibration. Mercury 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 mercury are listed (including any which occur naturally) below.
Isotope Atomic mass (ma/u) Natural abundance (atom %) Nuclear spin (I) Magnetic moment (μ/μN)
196Hg 195.965807 (5) 0.15 (1) 0
198Hg 197.966743 (4) 9.97 (20) 0
199Hg 198.968254 (4) 16.87 (22) 1/2 0.5058852
200Hg 199.968300 (4) 23.10 (19) 0
201Hg 200.970277 (4) 13.18 (9) 3/2 -0.560225
202Hg 201.970617 (4) 29.86 (26) 0
204Hg 203.973467 (5) 6.87 (15) 0

Isotopic abundances of Hg
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 mercury are listed above. This table gives information about some radiosotopes of mercury, 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
194Hg 193.96538 520 y EC to 194Au 0
195Hg 194.96664 9.5 h EC to 195Au 1/2 0.541475
197Hg 196.967195 2.672 d EC to 197Au 1/2 0.527374
203Hg 202.972857 46.61 d β- to 203Tl 5/2 0.8489

Sheffield ChemPuter isotope pattern calculator

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

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Note the following when entering your formula:

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  • 'Pseudoelements' such as Me, Ph, Cp, and many others are OK
  • Compound names and element names such as 'water' or 'manganese' are not OK
  • Experiment with your formula to see what is possible

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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mercury atomic number