Isotopes of magnesium

Magnesium (12Mg) naturally occurs in three stable isotopes:, , and. There are 19 radioisotopes that have been discovered, ranging from to  (with the exception of ). The longest-lived radioisotope is with a half-life of $20.915 hours$. The lighter isotopes mostly decay to isotopes of sodium while the heavier isotopes decay to isotopes of aluminium. The shortest-lived is proton-unbound with a half-life of $4 zeptoseconds$.

A precise measurement of the neutron-rich 40Mg in 2019 showed the unexpected difference in its nuclear structure, compared to the lighter neighboring isotopes.



List of isotopes

 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 6
 * 2p
 * 0+
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 7
 * 2p
 * 1/2−#
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 8
 * rowspan=2|$4 zs$
 * rowspan=2|$19.034$
 * β+ ($5 ps$)
 * rowspan=2|0+
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2|
 * β+p ($20.019$)
 * rowspan=4|
 * rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=4 style="text-align:right" | 9
 * rowspan=4|$90.4 ms$
 * rowspan=4|$69.7 %$
 * β+ ($30.3 %$)
 * rowspan=4|5/2+
 * rowspan=4|
 * rowspan=4|
 * β+p ($21.012$)
 * β+α ($120 ms$)
 * β+pα ($79.8 %$)
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 10
 * β+
 * 0+
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 11
 * β+
 * 3/2+
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * colspan=3 align=center|Stable
 * 0+
 * colspan=2 align=center|[$20.1 %$, $0.116 %$]
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 13
 * colspan=3 align=center|Stable
 * 5/2+
 * colspan=2 align=center|[$0.016 %$, $22$]
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 14
 * colspan=3 align=center|Stable
 * 0+
 * colspan=2 align=center|[$3.875 s$, $22.994$]
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 15
 * β−
 * 1/2+
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 16
 * β−
 * 0+
 * style="text-align:right" | 12
 * style="text-align:right" | 17
 * β−
 * 3/2+
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 18
 * rowspan=2|$11.304 s$
 * rowspan=2|$23.985$
 * β− (> $0.789$)
 * rowspan=2|0+
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2|
 * β−n (< $0.791$)
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 19
 * rowspan=2|$24.986$
 * rowspan=2|$0.1$
 * β− ($0.1$)
 * rowspan=2|1/2+
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2|
 * β−n ($25.983$)
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 20
 * rowspan=2|$0.11$
 * rowspan=2|$0.111$
 * β− ($26.984$)
 * rowspan=2|0+
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2|
 * β−n ($9.435 min$)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 21
 * rowspan=3|$27.984$
 * rowspan=3|$20.915 h$
 * β− ($28.989$)
 * rowspan=3|3/2−
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ($1.3 s$)
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 22
 * rowspan=3|$29.99$
 * rowspan=3|$317 ms$
 * β− (> $99.94 %$)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ($0.06 %$)
 * β−2n (< $30.997$)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 23
 * rowspan=3|$270 ms$
 * rowspan=3|$93.8 %$
 * β−n ($6.2 %$)
 * rowspan=3|(3/2−, 5/2−)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β− ($31.999$)
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 24
 * rowspan=3|$80.4 ms$
 * rowspan=3|$94.5 %$
 * β− ($5.5 %$)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ($33.005$)
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 25
 * rowspan=3|$92 ms$
 * rowspan=3|$86 %$
 * β− ?
 * rowspan=3|(3/2−)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 26
 * rowspan=3|$14 %$#
 * rowspan=3|3.1(4 (stat), 2 (sys)) ms
 * β−n (81%)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β− (9%)
 * β−2n (9%)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 28
 * rowspan=3|$34.009$#
 * rowspan=3|1# ms [> $44.9 ms$]
 * β− ?
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=2|
 * rowspan=2|
 * β−n ($78.9 %$)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 21
 * rowspan=3|$21 %$
 * rowspan=3|$0.1 %$
 * β− ($35.017$)
 * rowspan=3|3/2−
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ($11.3 ms$)
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 22
 * rowspan=3|$52 %$
 * rowspan=3|$48 %$
 * β− (> $36.022$)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ($3.9 ms$)
 * β−2n (< $52 %$)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 23
 * rowspan=3|$48 %$
 * rowspan=3|$37.03$
 * β−n ($8 ms$)
 * rowspan=3|(3/2−, 5/2−)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β− ($38.037$)
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 24
 * rowspan=3|$40.053$
 * rowspan=3|$170 ns$
 * β− (⇭⇭⇭)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n (⇭⇭⇭)
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 25
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭
 * β− ?
 * rowspan=3|(3/2−)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 26
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭#
 * rowspan=3|3.1(4 (stat), 2 (sys)) ms
 * β−n (81%)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β− (9%)
 * β−2n (9%)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 28
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭#
 * rowspan=3|1# ms [> ⇭⇭⇭]
 * β− ?
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|(3/2−)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 26
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭#
 * rowspan=3|3.1(4 (stat), 2 (sys)) ms
 * β−n (81%)
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β− (9%)
 * β−2n (9%)
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 28
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭#
 * rowspan=3|1# ms [> ⇭⇭⇭]
 * β− ?
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 12
 * rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 28
 * rowspan=3|⇭⇭⇭#
 * rowspan=3|1# ms [> ⇭⇭⇭]
 * β− ?
 * rowspan=3|0+
 * rowspan=3|
 * rowspan=3|
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * β−n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * β−2n ?
 * β−2n ?