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Isotopes of zinc
  Zinc isotopes are used extensively in both industrial and medical applications. Depleted Zn-64 is added to the cooling water of nuclear reactors in the form of oxide or acetate to prevent stress corrosion cracking. It also reduces the release of (stable) Co-59 into the cooling water by forming a thin spinel layer on the Co containing steel surfaces. Neutron irradiation of Co-59 will result in the formation of Co-60, a radioisotope which emits high energy gamma radiation and is a major contributor to the dose rate of personnel working in the reactor. Enriched Zn-67 is often used in biological research into the uptake of Zn in the human body. It can also be used for the production of radioactive Ga-67 in smaller cyclotrons. However, by far most Ga-67 is made from Zn-68. Zn-67, Zn-68 and Zn-70 can all be used for the production of the therapeutic isotope Cu-67. Zn-66 has been proposed as an alternative target for the production of Cu-64 and Ga-67. Finally Zn-70 is also used in biological research and in research into super-heavy elements. Zinc 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 zinc are listed (including any which occur naturally) below.
| Isotope |
Atomic mass (ma/u) |
Natural abundance (atom %) |
Nuclear spin (I) |
Magnetic moment (μ/μN) |
| 64Zn |
63.9291448 (19) |
48.63 (60) |
0 |
|
| 66Zn |
65.9260347 (17) |
27.90 (27) |
0 |
|
| 67Zn |
66.9271291 (17) |
4.10 (13) |
5/2 |
0.875479 |
| 68Zn |
67.9248459 (18) |
18.75 (51) |
0 |
|
| 70Zn |
69.925325 (4) |
0.62 (3) |
0 |
|
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 zinc are listed above. This table gives information about some radiosotopes of zinc, 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 |
| 60Zn |
59.94183 |
2.40 m |
EC to 60Cu |
0 |
|
| 61Zn |
60.93951 |
1.485 m |
EC to 61Cu |
3/2 |
|
| 62Zn |
61.93433 |
9.22 h |
EC to 62Cu |
0 |
|
| 63Zn |
62.933215 |
38.5 m |
EC to 63Cu |
3/2 |
-0.28164 |
| 65Zn |
64.929245 |
243.8 d |
EC to 65Cu |
5/2 |
0.7690 |
| 69Zn |
68.926553 |
56 m |
β- to 69Ga |
1/2 |
|
| 71Zn |
70.92773 |
2.4 m |
β- to 71Ga |
1/2 |
|
| 72Zn |
71.92686 |
46.5 h |
β- to 72Ga |
0 |
|
References
- 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]
- 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]
- For further information about radioisotopes see Jonghwa Chang's (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) Table of the Nuclides
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Zinc
Zinc
Zink
Zink
Zinco
Cinc
Zink
Zinco