Isotopes of polonium

Isotopes of polonium (84Po)
Main isotopes[1] Decay
abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct
208Po synth 2.898 y α 204Pb
β+ 208Bi
209Po synth 124 y α 205Pb
β+ 209Bi
210Po trace 138.376 d α 206Pb

There are 42 isotopes of polonium (84Po). They range in size from 186 to 227 nucleons. They are all radioactive. 210Po with a half-life of 138.376 days has the longest half-life of any naturally-occurring isotope of polonium and is the most common isotope of polonium. It is also the most easily synthesized polonium isotope. 209Po, which does not occur naturally, has the longest half-life of all isotopes of polonium at 124 years. 209Po can be made by using a cyclotron to bombard bismuth with protons, as can 208Po.[2]

  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.
  2. ^ Carvalho, F.; Fernandes, S.; Fesenko, S.; Holm, E.; Howard, B.; Martin, P.; Phaneuf, P.; Porcelli, D.; Pröhl, G.; Twining, J. (2017). The Environmental Behaviour of Polonium. Technical reports series. Vol. 484. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency. p. 22. ISBN 978-92-0-112116-5. ISSN 0074-1914.