Isotopes of chromium

Naturally occurring chromium (24Cr) is composed of four stable isotopes; 50Cr, 52Cr, 53Cr, and 54Cr with 52Cr being the most abundant (83.789% natural abundance). 50Cr is suspected of decaying by β+β+ to 50Ti with a half-life of (more than) 1.8×1017 years. Twenty-two radioisotopes, all of which are entirely synthetic, have been characterized, the most stable being 51Cr with a half-life of 27.7 days. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than 24 hours and the majority of these have half-lives that are less than 1 minute. This element also has two meta states, 45mCr, the more stable one, and 59mCr, the least stable isotope or isomer.

Isotopes of chromium (24Cr)
Main isotopes[1]Decay
abun­dancehalf-life (t1/2)modepro­duct
50Cr4.34%stable
51Crsynth27.7025 dε51V
γ
52Cr83.8%stable
53Cr9.50%stable
54Cr2.37%stable
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Cr)

53Cr is the radiogenic decay product of 53Mn. Chromium isotopic contents are typically combined with manganese isotopic contents and have found application in isotope geology. Mn-Cr isotope ratios reinforce the evidence from 26Al and 107Pd for the early history of the Solar System. Variations in 53Cr/52Cr and Mn/Cr ratios from several meteorites indicate an initial 53Mn/55Mn ratio that suggests Mn-Cr isotope systematics must result from in-situ decay of 53Mn in differentiated planetary bodies. Hence 53Cr provides additional evidence for nucleosynthetic processes immediately before coalescence of the Solar System. The same isotope is preferentially involved in certain leaching reactions, thereby allowing its abundance in seawater sediments to be used as a proxy for atmospheric oxygen concentrations.[4]

The isotopes of chromium range from 42Cr to 70Cr. The primary decay mode before the most abundant stable isotope, 52Cr, is electron capture and the primary mode after is beta decay.

List of isotopes

Nuclide
[n 1]
ZNIsotopic mass (Da)
[n 2][n 3]
Half-life
[n 4]
Decay
mode

[n 5]
Daughter
isotope

[n 6]
Spin and
parity
[n 7][n 4]
Natural abundance (mole fraction)
Excitation energy[n 4]Normal proportionRange of variation
42Cr241842.00643(32)#14(3) ms
[13(+4-2) ms]
β+ (>99.9%)42V0+
2p (<.1%)40Ti
43Cr241942.99771(24)#21.6(7) msβ+ (71%)43V(3/2+)
β+, p (23%)42Ti
β+, 2p (6%)41Sc
β+, α (<.1%)39Sc
44Cr242043.98555(5)#54(4) ms
[53(+4-3) ms]
β+ (93%)44V0+
β+, p (7%)43Ti
45Cr242144.97964(54)50(6) msβ+ (73%)45V7/2−#
β+, p (27%)44Ti
45mCr50(100)# keV1# msIT45Cr3/2+#
β+45V
46Cr242245.968359(21)0.26(6) sβ+46V0+
47Cr242346.962900(15)500(15) msβ+47V3/2−
48Cr242447.954032(8)21.56(3) hβ+48V0+
49Cr242548.9513357(26)42.3(1) minβ+49V5/2−
50Cr242649.9460442(11)Observationally Stable[n 8]0+0.04345(13)0.04294–0.04345
51Cr242750.9447674(11)27.7025(24) dEC51V7/2−
52Cr242851.9405075(8)Stable0+0.83789(18)0.83762–0.83790
53Cr242952.9406494(8)Stable3/2−0.09501(17)0.09501–0.09553
54Cr243053.9388804(8)Stable0+0.02365(7)0.02365–0.02391
55Cr243154.9408397(8)3.497(3) minβ55Mn3/2−
56Cr243255.9406531(20)5.94(10) minβ56Mn0+
57Cr243356.943613(2)21.1(10) sβ57Mn(3/2−)
58Cr243457.94435(22)7.0(3) sβ58Mn0+
59Cr243558.94859(26)460(50) msβ59Mn5/2−#
59mCr503.0(17) keV96(20) μs(9/2+)
60Cr243659.95008(23)560(60) msβ60Mn0+
61Cr243760.95472(27)261(15) msβ (>99.9%)61Mn5/2−#
β, n (<.1%)60Mn
62Cr243861.95661(36)199(9) msβ (>99.9%)62Mn0+
β, n61Mn
63Cr243962.96186(32)#129(2) msβ63Mn(1/2−)#
β, n62Mn
64Cr244063.96441(43)#43(1) msβ64Mn0+
65Cr244164.97016(54)#27(3) msβ65Mn(1/2−)#
66Cr244265.97338(64)#10(6) msβ66Mn0+
67Cr244366.97955(75)#10# ms
[>300 ns]
β67Mn1/2−#
68Cr[5]244467.98316(54)#10# ms
(>620 ns)
β?[n 9]68Mn0+
β, n?[n 9]67Mn
β, 2n?[n 9]66Mn
69Cr[6]244568.98966(54)#6# ms
(>620 ns)
β?[n 9]69Mn7/2+#
β, n?[n 9]68Mn
β, 2n?[n 9]67Mn
70Cr[6]244669.99395(64)#6# ms
(>620 ns)
β?[n 9]70Mn0+
β, n?[n 9]69Mn
β, 2n?[n 9]68Mn
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Chromium-51

Chromium-51 is a synthetic radioactive isotope of chromium having a half-life of 27.7 days and decaying by electron capture with emission of gamma rays (0.32 MeV); it is used to label red blood cells for measurement of mass or volume, survival time, and sequestration studies, for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding, and to label platelets to study their survival. It has a role as a radioactive label. Chromium Cr-51 has been used as a radioactive label for decades. It is used as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical agent in nephrology to determine glomerular filtration rate, and in hematology to determine red blood cell volume or mass, study the red blood cell survival time and evaluate blood loss.[7]

References