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| Standard atomic weightAr°(Ge) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Germanium (32Ge) has five naturally occurringisotopes,70Ge,72Ge,73Ge,74Ge, and76Ge. Of these,76Ge is very slightly radioactive, undergoingdouble beta decay with ahalf-life of 2.02 × 1021 years[3] (over 100 billion times theage of the universe).
Stable74Ge is the most common isotope, having anatural abundance of 36.52%;76Ge is the least common with a natural abundance of 7.75%.
At least 27 additionalradioisotopes have also been synthesized ranging in atomic mass from 58 to 89. The most stable of these is68Ge, decaying byelectron capture with a half-life of 271.05 days, whose daughter is the medically useful positron-emitting isotope68Ga. (Seegallium-68 generator for notes on the source of this isotope, and its medical use.) The next after that is71Ge, also decaying by electron capture with half-life 11.468 days,[2] and the rest are all less than two days, most under two hours.
While most of germanium's radioisotopes decay bybeta decay - β+ for isotopes lighter than 74-76, and β- for those heavier - isotopes as heavy as65Ge can also decay byβ+-delayedproton emission, and those as light as84Ge byβ−-delayedneutron emission.
76Ge is used in experiments on the nature of neutrinos, by searching forneutrinoless double beta decay.
| Nuclide [n 1] | Z | N | Isotopic mass(Da)[6] [n 2][n 3] | Half-life[1] [n 4][n 5] | Decay mode[1] [n 6] | Daughter isotope [n 7] | Spin and parity[1] [n 8][n 5] | Natural abundance(mole fraction) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excitation energy | Normal proportion[1] | Range of variation | |||||||||||||||||
| 59Ge | 32 | 27 | 58.98243(43)# | 13.3(17) ms | β+,p (93%) | 58Zn | 7/2−# | ||||||||||||
| β+ (7%) | 59Ga | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2p (<0.2%) | 57Zn | ||||||||||||||||||
| 60Ge | 32 | 28 | 59.97045(32)# | 21(6) ms | β+, p | 59Zn | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| β+, 2p (<14%) | 58Cu | ||||||||||||||||||
| 61Ge | 32 | 29 | 60.96373(32)# | 40.7(4) ms | β+, p (87%) | 60Zn | 3/2−# | ||||||||||||
| β+ (13%) | 61Ga | ||||||||||||||||||
| 62Ge | 32 | 30 | 61.95476(15)# | 82.5(14) ms | β+ | 62Ga | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 63Ge | 32 | 31 | 62.949628(40) | 153.6(11) ms | β+ | 63Ga | 3/2−# | ||||||||||||
| 64Ge | 32 | 32 | 63.9416899(40) | 63.7(25) s | β+ | 64Ga | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 65Ge | 32 | 33 | 64.9393681(23) | 30.9(5) s | β+ (99.99%) | 65Ga | 3/2− | ||||||||||||
| β+, p (0.011%) | 64Zn | ||||||||||||||||||
| 66Ge | 32 | 34 | 65.9338621(26) | 2.26(5) h | β+ | 66Ga | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 67Ge | 32 | 35 | 66.9327170(46) | 18.9(3) min | β+ | 67Ga | 1/2− | ||||||||||||
| 67m1Ge | 18.20(5) keV | 13.7(9) μs | IT | 67Ge | 5/2− | ||||||||||||||
| 67m2Ge | 751.70(6) keV | 109.1(38) ns | IT | 67Ge | 9/2+ | ||||||||||||||
| 68Ge[n 9] | 32 | 36 | 67.9280953(20) | 271.05(8) d | EC | 68Ga | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 69Ge | 32 | 37 | 68.9279645(14) | 39.05(10) h | β+ | 69Ga | 5/2− | ||||||||||||
| 69m1Ge | 86.76(2) keV | 5.1(2) μs | IT | 69Ge | 1/2− | ||||||||||||||
| 69m2Ge | 397.94(2) keV | 2.81(5) μs | IT | 69Ge | 9/2+ | ||||||||||||||
| 70Ge | 32 | 38 | 69.92424854(88) | Stable | 0+ | 0.2052(19) | |||||||||||||
| 71Ge | 32 | 39 | 70.92495212(87) | 11.468(8) d[2] | EC | 71Ga | 1/2− | ||||||||||||
| 71mGe | 198.354(14) keV | 20.41(18) ms | IT | 71Ge | 9/2+ | ||||||||||||||
| 72Ge | 32 | 40 | 71.922075824(81) | Stable | 0+ | 0.2745(15) | |||||||||||||
| 72mGe | 691.43(4) keV | 444.2(8) ns | IT | 72Ge | 0+ | ||||||||||||||
| 73Ge | 32 | 41 | 72.923458954(61) | Stable | 9/2+ | 0.0776(8) | |||||||||||||
| 73m1Ge | 13.2845(15) keV | 2.91(3) μs | IT | 73Ge | 5/2+ | ||||||||||||||
| 73m2Ge | 66.725(9) keV | 499(11) ms | IT | 73Ge | 1/2− | ||||||||||||||
| 74Ge | 32 | 42 | 73.921177760(13) | Stable | 0+ | 0.3652(12) | |||||||||||||
| 75Ge | 32 | 43 | 74.922858370(55) | 82.78(4) min | β− | 75As | 1/2− | ||||||||||||
| 75m1Ge | 139.69(3) keV | 47.7(5) s | IT (99.97%) | 75Ge | 7/2+ | ||||||||||||||
| β− (0.030%) | 75As | ||||||||||||||||||
| 75m2Ge | 192.19(6) keV | 216(5) ns | IT | 75Ge | 5/2+ | ||||||||||||||
| 76Ge[n 10][n 11] | 32 | 44 | 75.921402725(19) | (2.022±0.018±0.038)×1021 y[3] | β−β− | 76Se | 0+ | 0.0775(12) | |||||||||||
| 77Ge | 32 | 45 | 76.923549843(56) | 11.211(3) h | β− | 77As | 7/2+ | ||||||||||||
| 77mGe | 159.71(6) keV | 53.7(6) s | β− (81%) | 77As | 1/2− | ||||||||||||||
| IT (19%) | 77Ge | ||||||||||||||||||
| 78Ge | 32 | 46 | 77.9228529(38) | 88.0(10) min | β− | 78As | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 79Ge | 32 | 47 | 78.925360(40) | 18.98(3) s | β− | 79As | (1/2)− | ||||||||||||
| 79mGe | 185.95(4) keV | 39.0(10) s | β− (96%) | 79As | 7/2+# | ||||||||||||||
| IT (4%) | 79Ge | ||||||||||||||||||
| 80Ge | 32 | 48 | 79.9253508(22) | 29.5(4) s | β− | 80As | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 81Ge | 32 | 49 | 80.9288329(22) | 9(2) s | β− | 81As | 9/2+# | ||||||||||||
| 81mGe | 679.14(4) keV | 6(2) s | β− | 81As | (1/2+) | ||||||||||||||
| IT (<1%) | 81Ge | ||||||||||||||||||
| 82Ge | 32 | 50 | 81.9297740(24) | 4.31(19) s | β− | 82As | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 83Ge | 32 | 51 | 82.9345391(26) | 1.85(6) s | β− | 83As | (5/2+) | ||||||||||||
| 84Ge | 32 | 52 | 83.9375751(34) | 951(9) ms | β− (89.4%) | 84As | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| β−,n (10.6%) | 83As | ||||||||||||||||||
| 85Ge | 32 | 53 | 84.9429697(40) | 495(5) ms | β− (82.8%) | 85As | (3/2+,5/2+)# | ||||||||||||
| β−, n (17.2%) | 84As | ||||||||||||||||||
| 86Ge | 32 | 54 | 85.94697(47) | 221.6(11) ms | β− (55%) | 86As | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| β−, n (45%) | 85As | ||||||||||||||||||
| 87Ge | 32 | 55 | 86.95320(32)# | 103(4) ms | β− | 87As | 5/2+# | ||||||||||||
| 88Ge | 32 | 56 | 87.95757(43)# | 61(6) ms | β− | 88As | 0+ | ||||||||||||
| 89Ge | 32 | 57 | 88.96453(43)# | 60# ms [>300 ns] | 3/2+# | ||||||||||||||
| 90Ge | 32 | 58 | 89.96944(54)# | 30# ms [>400 ns] | 0+ | ||||||||||||||
| 91Ge[7] | 32 | 59 | |||||||||||||||||
| 92Ge[7] | 32 | 60 | |||||||||||||||||
| This table header & footer: | |||||||||||||||||||
| EC: | Electron capture |
| IT: | Isomeric transition |
| n: | Neutron emission |
| p: | Proton emission |
Daughter products other than germanium