Isotopes of germanium

Isotopes of germanium (₃₂Ge)
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Ge)
	72.630±0.008; 72.630±0.008 (abridged);

Germanium (₃₂Ge) has five naturally occurring isotopes, ⁷⁰Ge, ⁷²Ge, ⁷³Ge, ⁷⁴Ge, and ⁷⁶Ge. Of these, ⁷⁶Ge is very slightly radioactive, decaying by double beta decay with a half-life of 1.78 × 10²¹ years^[4] (130 billion times the age of the universe).

Stable ⁷⁴Ge is the most common isotope, having a natural abundance of approximately 36%. ⁷⁶Ge is the least common with a natural abundance of approximately 7%.^[5]

At least 27 radioisotopes have also been synthesized ranging in atomic mass from 58 to 89. The most stable of these is ⁶⁸Ge, decaying by electron capture with a half-life of 271.05 d. It decays to the medically useful positron-emitting isotope ⁶⁸Ga. (See gallium-68 generator for notes on the source of this isotope, and its medical use.) The least stable known germanium isotope is ⁵⁹Ge with a half-life of 13.3 ms.

While most of germanium's radioisotopes decay by beta decay, ⁶¹Ge and ⁶⁵Ge can also decay by β⁺-delayed proton emission.^[5] ⁸⁴Ge through ⁸⁷Ge also have minor β⁻-delayed neutron emission decay paths.^[5]

⁷⁶Ge is used in experiments on the nature of neutrinos, by searching for neutrinoless double beta decay.

^ Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.
^ "Standard Atomic Weights: Germanium". CIAAW. 2009.
^ Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (2022-05-04). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603. ISSN 1365-3075.
^ A. M. Bakalyarov; A. Ya. Balysh; S. T. Belyaev; V. I. Lebedev; S. V. Zhukov (2003). "Results of the experiment on investigation of Germanium-76 double beta decay". Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters. 2 (2): 77–81. arXiv:hep-ex/0309016. Bibcode:2003hep.ex....9016B.
^ ^a ^b ^c Audi, Georges; Bersillon, Olivier; Blachot, Jean; Wapstra, Aaldert Hendrik (2003), "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties", Nuclear Physics A, 729: 3–128, Bibcode:2003NuPhA.729....3A, doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001

[NUBASE2020-1] Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.

[CIAAWgermanium-2] "Standard Atomic Weights: Germanium". CIAAW. 2009.

[CIAAW2021-3] Prohaska, Thomas; Irrgeher, Johanna; Benefield, Jacqueline; Böhlke, John K.; Chesson, Lesley A.; Coplen, Tyler B.; Ding, Tiping; Dunn, Philip J. H.; Gröning, Manfred; Holden, Norman E.; Meijer, Harro A. J. (2022-05-04). "Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. doi:10.1515/pac-2019-0603. ISSN 1365-3075.

[4] A. M. Bakalyarov; A. Ya. Balysh; S. T. Belyaev; V. I. Lebedev; S. V. Zhukov (2003). "Results of the experiment on investigation of Germanium-76 double beta decay". Physics of Particles and Nuclei Letters. 2 (2): 77–81. arXiv:hep-ex/0309016. Bibcode:2003hep.ex....9016B.

[nubase2003-5] Audi, Georges; Bersillon, Olivier; Blachot, Jean; Wapstra, Aaldert Hendrik (2003), "The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties", Nuclear Physics A, 729: 3–128, Bibcode:2003NuPhA.729....3A, doi:10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001

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