Is Cobalt 62 Stable?

Cobalt-59 is naturally occurring and is stable. Cobalt-50 through 58 and 60 through 75 are artificially produced and are radioactive.

Other Properties.

Is cobalt a stable isotope?

Naturally occurring cobalt (₂₇Co) consists of a single stable isotope, ⁵⁹Co. Twenty-eight radioisotopes have been characterized; the most stable are ⁶⁰Co with a half-life of 5.2714 years, ⁵⁷Co (271.8 days), ⁵⁶Co (77.27 days), and ⁵⁸Co (70.86 days).

Is cobalt-60 radioactive or stable?

radioactive
cobalt-60, radioactive isotope of cobalt used in industry and medicine. Cobalt-60 is the longest-lived radioactive isotope of cobalt, with a half-life of 5.27 years. It is produced by irradiating the stable isotope cobalt-59 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor.

Is cobalt-60 an unstable isotope?

Because of the unstable configuration of the atomic nucleus of cobalt-60, a neutron is changed to a proton and nickel-60 is obtained.

Why is cobalt-60 unstable?

One of its synthetic isotopes, Cobalt-60 (Co-60), has an extra neutron in its nucleus that makes it unstable. As it breaks down, Co-60 emits high energy, “ionizing” radiation that can break molecular bonds.

Is cobalt stable or unstable?

stable
Cobalt-59 is naturally occurring and is stable. Cobalt-50 through 58 and 60 through 75 are artificially produced and are radioactive.

How can you tell if an isotope is stable?

Unstable or Stable
Calculate the total number of nucleons (protons and neutrons) in the nuclide. If the number of nucleons is even, there is a good chance it is stable. Are there a magic number of protons or neutrons? 2,8,20,28,50,82,114 (protons), 126 (neutrons), 184 (neutrons) are particularly stable in nuclei.

Is cobalt stable or reactive?

Like iron, it can be magnetized. It is similar to iron and nickel in its physical properties. The element is active chemically, forming many compounds. Cobalt is stable in air and unaffected by water, but is slowly attacked by dilute acids.

Why is cobalt-60 so radioactive?

Cobalt-60 decays by beta and gamma emission to non-radioactive nickel. Most of the radiation from the decay of cobalt- 60 is in the form of gamma emissions; some is in the form of beta particles. Beta particles are generally absorbed in the skin and do not pass through the entire body.

What happens if you touch cobalt-60?

Because it decays by gamma radiation, external exposure to large sources of Co-60 can cause skin burns, acute radiation sickness, or death. Most Co-60 that is ingested is excreted in the feces; however, a small amount is absorbed by the liver, kidneys, and bones.

Which isotope is unstable?

Stable isotopes do not decay into other elements. In contrast, radioactive isotopes (e.g., 14C) are unstable and will decay into other elements.

Is cobalt a stable element?

Natural cobalt is all stable isotope cobalt-59, from which the longest-lived artificial radioactive isotope cobalt-60 (5.3-year half-life) is produced by neutron irradiation in a nuclear reactor.

Are all isotope unstable?

There are two main types of isotopes: stable and unstable (radioactive). There are 254 known stable isotopes. All artificial (lab-made) isotopes are unstable and therefore radioactive; scientists call them radioisotopes. Some elements can only exist in an unstable form (for example, uranium).

What is the most stable isotope of cobalt?

⁵⁹Co
Isotopes. Naturally occurring cobalt is composed of 1 stable isotope, ⁵⁹Co. 22 radioisotopes have been characterized with the most stable being ⁶⁰Co with a half-life of 5.2714 years, ⁵⁷Co with a half-life of 271.79 days, ⁵⁶Co with a half-life of 77.27 days, and ⁵⁸Co with a half life of 70.86 days.

What is the most radioactive thing on earth?

radium
The radioactivity of radium then must be enormous. This substance is the most radioactive natural element, a million times more so than uranium.

How can you store cobalt-60 so that it is safe to handle?

* Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, well-ventilated area away from COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS (such as WOOD, FUEL and OILS). * Sources of ignition, such as smoking and open flames, are prohibited where finely divided Cobalt is used, handled, or stored.

How do you know if an element is unstable or stable?

An atom is stable if the forces among the particles that makeup the nucleus are balanced. An atom is unstable (radioactive) if these forces are unbalanced; if the nucleus has an excess of internal energy. Instability of an atom’s nucleus may result from an excess of either neutrons or protons.

Why is cobalt stable?

Co(II) is stable in aqueous solutions however, in the presence of strong field complexing is agents, it is oxidised to Co(III). Although the 3rd ionisation energy for Co is high, but the higher amount of crystal field stabilisation field ligands overcomes this ionisation energy.

What is the most stable isotope?

Answer and Explanation: Tin has the most stable isotopes of all the elements. Tin is a metallic element on the periodic table with an atomic number of 50.

What are examples of stable isotopes?

Commonly analysed stable isotopes include oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur. These isotope systems have been under investigation for many years in order to study processes of isotope fractionation in natural systems because they are relatively simple to measure.

What are stable and unstable isotopes?

The stable isotopes have nuclei that do not decay to other isotopes on geologic time scales but may themselves be produced by the decay of radioactive isotopes. Radioactive (unstable) isotopes have nuclei that spontaneously decay over time to form other isotopes.