Talk:Isotopes of lead

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Could article explain why Pb-202 is singled out as the common radiogenic isotope ? How is it made, and what is it used for ? Rod57 (talk) 00:45, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
 * Article claims that Pb-204 is entirely primordial, yet Pb-204 is a daughter isotope from the beta decay of Tl-204. Can this be verified?
 * Note that the chart indicates that the range of maximum stability of the 82Pblead element isotopes in the range of the stable EE206 and EO207 isotopes numbers, with the EE204 isotope having fewer extra neutrons (40).WFPM (talk) 14:22, 21 August 2011 (UTC)
 * The Isotope OO81Tl204 is in the center of the stability range between OE81Tl203 and OE81Tl205, but is not stable, with the noted tendency for it to beta decay to EE82Pb204.WFPM (talk) 14:33, 21 August 2011 (UTC)

Isotope stability trend lines
The 4 stable isotopes of 82Pb lead have the atomic numbers 204, 206, 207, and 208. In this area of the periodic table the stable elements can be organized with relationship to some stability trend lines having the formula as follows: A = 3Z - an even number. Accordingly, these stable lead isotopes can be organized as follows:

EE82Pb208 = 3Z - 38, = (3 x 82) - 38, = 246 - 38 EO82PB207 = 3Z - 39 = (3 x 82) - 39, = 246 - 39 EE82Pb206 = 3Z - 40, = (3 x 82) - 40, = 246 - 40

EE82Pb204 = 3Z - 42, = (3 x 82) - 42, = 246 - 42

The 3 EE82Pb stable isotopes are noted to occupy the trend lines A = 3Z - 38, 40, and 42, with the isotope EO82Pb207 being between the 2 EE's, as is the usual case for stable EO isotopes. Also, the isotope OE83Bi209, which used to be considered to be the heaviest stable isotope, has the formula OEBi209 = 3Z - 40 as did EE82Pb206.

The stability trend line A = 3Z - 40 is noted to run from OE79Au197 through OE83Bi209 after having changed from A = 3Z - 38 for the isotopes from EE68Er166 back to OE59Pr139, (except for 61Pm), a total of 9 elements.

Of the heavier unstable isotopes, both EE92U238 and EE94Pu244 are noted to be on the stability trend line A = 3Z - 38.WFPM (talk) 19:18, 25 August 2010 (UTC)

If you want to see an Atomic Nuclide chart where the stability trend lines can be plotted as diagonal lines on the chart see: User:JWB/Nuclide chart with skew 1.WFPM (talk) 12:53, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

The chart and discussion below is presented in order to show the general stability trend (versus atomic number and number of extra neutrons) of the stable and longest halflived isotopes of lead. The plotted ordinate values are the base 10 log second halflives of the various isotopes.WFPM (talk) 16:50, 17 May 2011 (UTC) Note that the data includes numerous halflife values of isotopes that are in a condition such as to not significantly represent the stability characteristic of the most stable isotope of that particular atomic number. The point being made is that a chart such as this gives a much better indication of the stability characteristic of the element than just a reading of the stability data.WFPM (talk) 14:38, 19 July 2011 (UTC)



I'm sorry you're no longer permitted to view this chart.

Lead-212 used in medical applications
Thorium mentions that lead-212 (a daughter nuclide of Thorium) is used in nuclear medicine, citing two sources:

Some other possibly relevant sources:

I don't have the time to integrate this into the article at the moment, so I'm leaving the ball here for someone to pick up. 71.41.210.146 (talk) 21:10, 1 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Lead-212 (Medical)
 * Nuclear medicine - AREVA group
 * Biological effect of lead-212 localized in the nucleus of mammalian cells: role of recoil energy in the radiotoxicity of internal alpha-particle emitters
 * Areva seeks to put lead-212 in hospital

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Update regarding Neutron star mergers?
This and other articles suggesting all of heavy elements are made in supernovae should be updated to include the newly confirmed neutron star origin. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.203.122.204 (talk) 05:55, 24 October 2017 (UTC)

Can we add references ? Pb208 decay
Hi, I work in nuclear physics and I never heard of the Pb208 decay. its one of the most stable nuclei due to its double-magic nature. can we add references for papers for this ? If you estimate the halflife (it is eneergetically possible) it would about 10^546 years. Talking about observational stable is simply nonsense — Preceding unsigned comment added by 192.12.184.7 (talk) 20:51, 15 June 2021 (UTC)
 * "Observationally stable" means that it theoretically can decay (energetically possible), but has never been observed to do so, nor would such a discovery affect the use of lead in practice. A few sources have explicitly mentioned this prediction, but all figures given are so high that it is unlikely to ever be observed. One of these sources (there are others as well), given in the main lead article, is accessible at . To my understanding, the most sensitive detection experiments could perhaps reach a half-life of 1028 or 1029 years, but this is still far shorter than predictions. ComplexRational (talk) 23:47, 15 June 2021 (UTC)

Alpha decay of 209-212Pb
We see that 210Pb has a partial alpha half-life at the order of 109 years; according to, 211Pb and 212Pb should respectively have an alpha decay partial half-life at the order of 1011 years and 1013 years. The partial alpha half-lives of 210Pb and 212Pb are respectively 9 and 27 orders of magnitude longer than that of 210Po and 212Po despite having higher energy. I found it interesting that 210Pb and 145Pm have many aspects in common: similar alpha and beta half-lives, low beta energies, having two more neutrons than magic numbers, being the only ones to show alpha decay experimentally among nearby isotopes, many isotopes of the next elements (Sm and Bi) having alpha decays ... The most obvious distinction is that 210Pb is natural, while 145Pm is entirely synthetic.

According to the same link as above, 209Pb should have an alpha decay partial half-life at the order of 1024 years. Adding a single proton or a neutron to the doubly-magic 208Pb reduces alpha-stability but not greatly. 129.104.241.214 (talk) 20:28, 24 November 2023 (UTC)