| General | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | 62Ni |
| Names | nickel-62, 62Ni, Ni-62 |
| Protons (Z) | 28 |
| Neutrons (N) | 34 |
| Nuclide data | |
| Natural abundance | 3.6346% |
| Half-life (t1/2) | Stable |
| Isotope mass | 61.9283449(5) Da |
| Spin | 0 |
| Binding energy | 8794.553±0.007 keV |
| Isotopes of nickel Complete table of nuclides | |
Nickel-62 is an isotope of nickel having 28 protons and 34 neutrons.
It is a stable isotope, with the highest binding energy per nucleon of any known nuclide (8.7945 MeV).[1][2] It is often stated that 56Fe is the "most stable nucleus", but only because 56Fe has the lowest mass per nucleon (not binding energy per nucleon) of all nuclides. The lower mass per nucleon of 56Fe is possible because 56Fe has 26/56 ≈ 46.43% protons, while 62Ni has only 28/62 ≈ 45.16% protons. Protons are less massive than neutrons, meaning that the larger fraction of protons in 56Fe lowers its mean mass-per-nucleon ratio in a way that has no effect on its binding energy. In other words, Nickel-62 still has the lightest protons of any isotope and the lightest neutrons of any isotope.