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The only stable nuclides having an odd number of protons and an odd number of neutrons are hydrogen-2, lithium-6, boron-10, nitrogen-14 and (observationally) tantalum-180m. This is because the mass–energy of such atoms is usually higher than that of their neighbors on the same isobaric chain, so most of them are unstable to beta decay .
The darker more stable isotope region departs from the line of protons (Z) = neutrons (N), as the element number Z becomes larger. This is a list of chemical elements by the stability of their isotopes. Of the first 82 elements in the periodic table, 80 have isotopes considered to be stable. [1] Overall, there are 251 known stable isotopes in ...
All other potassium isotopes have half-lives under a day, most under a minute. The least stable is 31 K, a three-proton emitter discovered in 2019; its half-life was measured to be shorter than 10 picoseconds. [5] [6] Stable potassium isotopes have been used for several nutrient cycling studies since potassium is a macronutrient required for ...
Conversely, of the 251 known stable nuclides, only five have both an odd number of protons and odd number of neutrons: hydrogen-2 , lithium-6, boron-10, nitrogen-14, and tantalum-180m. Also, only four naturally occurring, radioactive odd–odd nuclides have a half-life >10 9 years: potassium-40, vanadium-50, lanthanum-138, and lutetium-176.
The radioactive dosage from consuming one banana is around 10 −7 sievert, or 0.1 microsievert, under the assumptions that all of the radiation produced by potassium-40 is absorbed in the body (which is mostly true, as the majority of the radiation is beta-minus radiation, which has a short range) and that the biological half life of potassium ...
Neutral potassium atoms have 19 electrons, one more than the configuration of the noble gas argon. Because of its low first ionization energy of 418.8 kJ/mol, the potassium atom is much more likely to lose the last electron and acquire a positive charge, although negatively charged alkalide K − ions are not impossible. [23]
In 2021, fast neutrons from 252 Cf were used for wireless data transmission. [67] 251 Cf has a very small calculated critical mass of about 5 kg (11 lb), [68] high lethality, and a relatively short period of toxic environmental irradiation. The low critical mass of californium led to some exaggerated claims about possible uses for the element.
For other isotopes, the isotopic mass is usually within 0.1 u of the mass number. For example, 35 Cl (17 protons and 18 neutrons) has a mass number of 35 and an isotopic mass of 34.96885. [7] The difference of the actual isotopic mass minus the mass number of an atom is known as the mass excess, [8] which for 35 Cl is –0.03115.