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An example of a nucleogenic nuclide is neon-21 produced from neon-20 that absorbs a thermal neutron (though some neon-21 is also primordial). [1] Other nucleogenic reactions that produce heavy neon isotopes are (fast neutron capture, alpha emission) reactions, starting with magnesium-24 and magnesium-25, respectively. [2]
Taking into account that all these nuclides must exist for at least 4.6 × 10 9 years, 146 Sm must survive 45 half-lives (and hence be reduced by 2 45 ≈ 4 × 10 13), 244 Pu must survive 57 (and be reduced by a factor of 2 57 ≈ 1 × 10 17), and 92 Nb must survive 130 (and be reduced by 2 130 ≈ 1 × 10 39).
The next group is the primordial radioactive nuclides. These have been measured to be radioactive, or decay products have been identified in natural samples (tellurium-128, barium-130). There are 35 of these (see these nuclides ), of which 25 have half-lives longer than 10 13 years.
The Solar System and Earth are formed from primordial nuclides and extinct nuclides. Extinct nuclides have decayed away, but primordial nuclides still exist in their original state (undecayed). There are 251 stable primordial nuclides, and remainders of 35 primordial radionuclides that have very long half-lives.
Examples include boron-10, carbon-12, and nitrogen-14 (as N − Z = 0 for each pair), or boron-12, carbon-14, and nitrogen-16 (as N − Z = 2 for each pair). Beyond the neutron drip line along the lower left, nuclides decay by neutron emission. Beyond the proton drip line along the upper right, nuclides decay by proton emission. Drip lines have ...
They include 30 nuclides with measured half-lives longer than the estimated age of the universe (13.8 billion years [17]), and another four nuclides with half-lives long enough (> 100 million years) that they are radioactive primordial nuclides, and may be detected on Earth, having survived from their presence in interstellar dust since before ...
Radiogenic heating occurs as a result of the release of heat energy from radioactive decay [4] during the production of radiogenic nuclides. Along with heat from the Primordial Heat (resulting from planetary accretion), radiogenic heating occurring in the mantle and crust make up the two main sources of heat in the Earth's interior. [5]
Bismuth-209 was long thought to have the heaviest stable nucleus of any element, but in 2003, a research team at the Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale in Orsay, France, discovered that 209 Bi undergoes alpha decay with a half-life of 20.1 exayears (2.01×10 19, or 20.1 quintillion years), [3] [4] over 10 9 times longer than the estimated age of the universe. [5]