Isotopes of calcium

Overview of the isotopes of calcium

Isotopes of Calcium

Calcium-48 carbonate

Calcium (Ca) is a chemical element with the atomic number 20. It is a member of the alkaline earth metals in group 2 of the periodic table. Calcium has several isotopes, which are variants of the element that differ in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.

Stable Isotopes

Calcium has six naturally occurring isotopes: ⁴⁰Ca, ⁴²Ca, ⁴³Ca, ⁴⁴Ca, ⁴⁶Ca, and ⁴⁸Ca. Of these, ⁴⁰Ca is the most abundant, making up about 96.9% of natural calcium.

• ⁴⁰Ca: This is the most common isotope of calcium and is stable. It is used in various applications, including as a standard in mass spectrometry.
• ⁴²Ca: A stable isotope that makes up about 0.647% of natural calcium.
• ⁴³Ca: This stable isotope is used in NMR spectroscopy due to its nuclear spin.
• ⁴⁴Ca: Another stable isotope, comprising about 2.086% of natural calcium.
• ⁴⁶Ca: A rare stable isotope, making up only 0.004% of natural calcium.
• ⁴⁸Ca: This isotope is notable for being a double beta decay candidate and is used in neutrino experiments.

Radioactive Isotopes

Calcium also has several radioactive isotopes, which are not found naturally but can be produced in laboratories.

• ⁴¹Ca: This isotope is used in radiometric dating and has a half-life of about 100,000 years.
• ⁴⁵Ca: A radioactive isotope with a half-life of 162.7 days, used in biological research to study calcium metabolism.

Applications of Calcium Isotopes

Calcium isotopes have various applications in scientific research and industry. Stable isotopes like ⁴³Ca are used in NMR spectroscopy to study molecular structures. Radioactive isotopes such as ⁴⁵Ca are used in biological research to trace calcium pathways in organisms.

Related Pages

• Calcium
• Isotope
• Alkaline earth metal
• Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy