Isotopes of copper

Copper (Cu) has two stable isotopes, ⁶³Cu and ⁶⁵Cu, along with 27 radioisotopes. The most stable of these is ⁶⁷Cu with a half-life of 61.83 hours. The least stable is ⁵⁴Cu with a half-life of approximately 75 ns. Most have half-lives under a minute. Unstable copper isotopes with atomic masses below 63 tend to undergo β⁺ decay, while isotopes with atomic masses above 65 tend to undergo β⁻ decay. ⁶⁴Cu decays by both β⁺ and β⁻.^[1]

⁶⁸Cu, ⁶⁹Cu, ⁷¹Cu, ⁷²Cu, and ⁷⁶Cu each have one metastable isomer. ⁷⁰Cu has two isomers, making a total of 7 distinct isomers. The most stable of these is ^68mCu with a half-life of 3.75 minutes. The least stable is ^69mCu with a half-life of 360 ns.^[1]

Standard atomic mass: 63.546(3) u.

Table

nuclide symbol	Z(p)	N(n)	isotopic mass (u)	half-life	decay mode(s)^[2]^{[n 1]}	daughter isotope(s)^{[n 2]}	nuclear spin	representative isotopic composition (mole fraction)	range of natural variation (mole fraction)
nuclide symbol	excitation energy			half-life	decay mode(s)^[2]^{[n 1]}	daughter isotope(s)^{[n 2]}	nuclear spin	representative isotopic composition (mole fraction)	range of natural variation (mole fraction)
⁵²Cu	29	23	51.99718(28)#		p	⁵¹Ni	(3+)#
⁵³Cu	29	24	52.98555(28)#	<300 ns	p	⁵²Ni	(3/2-)#
⁵⁴Cu	29	25	53.97671(23)#	<75 ns	p	⁵³Ni	(3+)#
⁵⁵Cu	29	26	54.96605(32)#	40# ms [>200 ns]	β⁺	⁵⁵Ni	3/2-#
⁵⁵Cu	29	26	54.96605(32)#	40# ms [>200 ns]	p	⁵⁴Ni	3/2-#
⁵⁶Cu	29	27	55.95856(15)#	93(3) ms	β⁺	⁵⁶Ni	(4+)
⁵⁷Cu	29	28	56.949211(17)	196.3(7) ms	β⁺	⁵⁷Ni	3/2-
⁵⁸Cu	29	29	57.9445385(17)	3.204(7) s	β⁺	⁵⁸Ni	1+
⁵⁹Cu	29	30	58.9394980(8)	81.5(5) s	β⁺	⁵⁹Ni	3/2-
⁶⁰Cu	29	31	59.9373650(18)	23.7(4) min	β⁺	⁶⁰Ni	2+
⁶¹Cu	29	32	60.9334578(11)	3.333(5) h	β⁺	⁶¹Ni	3/2-
⁶²Cu	29	33	61.932584(4)	9.673(8) min	β⁺	⁶²Ni	1+
⁶³Cu	29	34	62.9295975(6)	Stable			3/2-	0.6915(15)	0.68983-0.69338
⁶⁴Cu	29	35	63.9297642(6)	12.700(2) h	β⁺ (61%)	⁶⁴Ni	1+
⁶⁴Cu	29	35	63.9297642(6)	12.700(2) h	β^- (39%)	⁶⁴Zn	1+
⁶⁵Cu	29	36	64.9277895(7)	Stable			3/2-	0.3085(15)	0.30662-0.31017
⁶⁶Cu	29	37	65.9288688(7)	5.120(14) min	β^-	⁶⁶Zn	1+
⁶⁷Cu	29	38	66.9277303(13)	61.83(12) h	β^-	⁶⁷Zn	3/2-
⁶⁸Cu	29	39	67.9296109(17)	31.1(15) s	β^-	⁶⁸Zn	1+
^68mCu	721.6(7) keV			3.75(5) min	IT (84%)	⁶⁸Cu	(6-)
^68mCu	721.6(7) keV			3.75(5) min	β^- (16%)	⁶⁸Zn	(6-)
⁶⁹Cu	29	40	68.9294293(15)	2.85(15) min	β^-	⁶⁹Zn	3/2-
^69mCu	2741.8(10) keV			360(30) ns			(13/2+)
⁷⁰Cu	29	41	69.9323923(17)	44.5(2) s	β^-	⁷⁰Zn	(6-)
^70m1Cu	101.1(3) keV			33(2) s	β^-	⁷⁰Zn	(3-)
^70m2Cu	242.6(5) keV			6.6(2) s			1+
⁷¹Cu	29	42	70.9326768(16)	19.4(14) s	β^-	⁷¹Zn	(3/2-)
^71mCu	2756(10) keV			271(13) ns			(19/2-)
⁷²Cu	29	43	71.9358203(15)	6.6(1) s	β^-	⁷²Zn	(1+)
^72mCu	270(3) keV			1.76(3) µs			(4-)
⁷³Cu	29	44	72.936675(4)	4.2(3) s	β^- (>99.9%)	⁷³Zn	(3/2-)
⁷³Cu	29	44	72.936675(4)	4.2(3) s	β^-, n (<.1%)	⁷²Zn	(3/2-)
⁷⁴Cu	29	45	73.939875(7)	1.594(10) s	β^-	⁷⁴Zn	(1+,3+)
⁷⁵Cu	29	46	74.94190(105)	1.224(3) s	β^- (96.5%)	⁷⁵Zn	(3/2-)#
⁷⁵Cu	29	46	74.94190(105)	1.224(3) s	β^-, n (3.5%)	⁷⁴Zn	(3/2-)#
⁷⁶Cu	29	47	75.945275(7)	641(6) ms	β^- (97%)	⁷⁶Zn	(3,5)
⁷⁶Cu	29	47	75.945275(7)	641(6) ms	β^-, n (3%)	⁷⁵Zn	(3,5)
^76mCu	0(200)# keV			1.27(30) s	β^-	⁷⁶Zn	(1,3)
⁷⁷Cu	29	48	76.94785(43)#	469(8) ms	β^-	⁷⁷Zn	3/2-#
⁷⁸Cu	29	49	77.95196(43)#	342(11) ms	β^-	⁷⁸Zn
⁷⁹Cu	29	50	78.95456(54)#	188(25) ms	β^-, n (55%)	⁷⁸Zn	3/2-#
⁷⁹Cu	29	50	78.95456(54)#	188(25) ms	β^- (45%)	⁷⁹Zn	3/2-#
⁸⁰Cu	29	51	79.96087(64)#	100# ms [>300 ns]	β^-	⁸⁰Zn

^ Abbreviations:
IT: Isomeric transition
^ Bold for stable isotopes

Notes

The precision of the isotope abundances and atomic mass is limited through variations. The given ranges should be applicable to any normal terrestrial material.
Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from systematic trends. Spins with weak assignment arguments are enclosed in parentheses.
Uncertainties are given in concise form in parentheses after the corresponding last digits. Uncertainty values denote one standard deviation, except isotopic composition and standard atomic mass from IUPAC which use expanded uncertainties.

References

^ ^a ^b G. Audi, A. H. Wapstra, C. Thibault, J. Blachot and O. Bersillon (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. http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/amdc/nubase/Nubase2003.pdf.
^ Nucleonica: Universal Nuclide Chart

Isotope masses from:
- G. Audi, A. H. Wapstra, C. Thibault, J. Blachot and O. Bersillon (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. http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/amdc/nubase/Nubase2003.pdf.
Isotopic compositions and standard atomic masses from:
- J. R. de Laeter, J. K. Böhlke, P. De Bièvre, H. Hidaka, H. S. Peiser, K. J. R. Rosman and P. D. P. Taylor (2003). "Atomic weights of the elements. Review 2000 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry 75 (6): 683–800. doi:10.1351/pac200375060683. http://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/75/6/0683/pdf/.
- M. E. Wieser (2006). "Atomic weights of the elements 2005 (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry 78 (11): 2051–2066. doi:10.1351/pac200678112051. http://iupac.org/publications/pac/78/11/2051/pdf/. Lay summary.
Half-life, spin, and isomer data selected from the following sources. See editing notes on this article's talk page.
- G. Audi, A. H. Wapstra, C. Thibault, J. Blachot and O. Bersillon (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. http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/amdc/nubase/Nubase2003.pdf.
- National Nuclear Data Center. "NuDat 2.1 database". Brookhaven National Laboratory. http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nudat2/. Retrieved September 2005.
- N. E. Holden (2004). "Table of the Isotopes". In D. R. Lide. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (85th ed.). CRC Press. Section 11. ISBN 978-0849304859.

Isotopes of nickel	Isotopes of copper	Isotopes of zinc
Index to isotope pages · Table of nuclides