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12 isotopes or nuclides of the element beryllium are known, of which only one - 9Be - is stable. This makes beryllium a pure element and the only monoisotopic chemical element with an even number of protons in the nucleus.
The atomic mass of beryllium is 9.0121831(5) u.
Beryllium-9 is the only stable isotope found on earth. The smallest traces of the radioactive nuclides 7Be and 10Be can be detected as radioisotopes of cosmic origin.
The beryllium-11 atom is one of the so-called halo nuclei; it consists of 4 protons and 6 neutrons in the nucleus and a weakly bound neutron outside this nucleus; one speaks of a 1-neutron halo [8].
| Isotope Nuclide | E | N | Atomic Mass [Nuclear Mass] {Mass Excess} | Spin I (h/2π) | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Beryllium-5 | 54Be | 1 | 5.03987(215) u [5.0376757 u] {37.13867 MeV} | (1/2+) | |
| Beryllium-6 | 64Be | 2 | 6.019726(6) u [6.0175317 u] {18.37465 MeV} | 0+ | 8C |
| Beryllium-7 | 74Be | 3 | 7.01692871(8) u [7.0147344 u] {15.76899 MeV} | 3/2- | |
| Beryllium-8 | 84Be | 4 | 8.00530510(4) u [8.0031108 u] {4.94167 MeV} | 0+ | 8B 8Li 9C |
| Beryllium-9 | 94Be | 5 | 9.012183050(82) u [9.0099887 u] {11.34844 MeV} | 3/2- | 9Li |
| Beryllium-10 | 104Be | 6 | 10.01353469(9) u [10.0113404 u] {12.60748 MeV} | 0+ | 11Li 11Be |
| Beryllium-11 | 114Be | 7 | 11.02166108(26) u [11.0194668 u] {20.17717 MeV} | 1/2+ | 11Li |
| Beryllium-12 | 124Be | 8 | 12.0269221(20) u [12.0247278 u] {25.07777 MeV} | 0+ | |
| Beryllium-12m | 12m4Be | 8 | 12.0269221(20) u [12.0247278 u] {25.07777 MeV} | 0+ | |
| Beryllium-13 | 134Be | 9 | 13.036135(11) u [13.0339407 u] {33.65954 MeV} | (1/2-) | 13Be |
| Beryllium-14 | 144Be | 10 | 14.04289(14) u [14.0406957 u] {39.95178 MeV} | 0+ | 15Be 16Be |
| Beryllium-15 | 154Be | 11 | 15.05349(18) u [15.0512957 u] {49.82561 MeV} | (5/2+) | |
| Beryllium-16 | 164Be | 12 | 16.06167(18) u [16.0594757 u] {57.44523 MeV} | 0+ |
| Isotope | Radioactive Decay | Extern | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half-life | Decay Mode | Probability | Energy | ||
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| Be-5 | p → 4Li | 100 % | AL | ||
| Be-6 | 5.0(3) zs | 2p → 4He α ? | 4.288 MeV | AL | |
| Be-7 | 53.22(6) d | EC → 7Li | 100 % | 0.86189(7) MeV | AL |
| Be-8 | 81.9(37) as | α → 4He | 100 % | 0.09184(4) MeV | AL |
| Be-9 | stable | AL | |||
| Be-10 | 1.387(12) × 106 a | β- → 10B | 100 % | 0.55688(8) MeV | AL |
| Be-11 | 13.76(7) s | β- → 11B β-, α → 7Li β-, p 10Be | 96.9 % 3.1(4) % 0.00083(9) % | 11.50946(24) MeV | AL |
| Be-12 | 21.46(5) ms | β- → 12B β-, n → 11B | 99.5 % 0.50(3) % | 11.7084(23) MeV 8.3387(19) MeV | AL |
| Be-12m | 230(8) ns | Iso → 12Be | 100 % | 2.251(1) MeV | |
| Be-13 | 2.7(18) zs | n → 12Be | ? | AL | |
| Be-14 | 4.35(17) ms | β- → 14B β-, n → 13B β-, 2n → 12B β-, α → 10Li | 14 % 81(4) % 5(2) % ? | 16.29(13) MeV 15.32(13) MeV | AL |
| Be-15 | 79(27) zs | n 14Be | ca. 100 % | AL | |
| Be-16 | 65(13) zs | 2n 14Be | 20.42 MeV | AL | |
Notes (related to the columns):
1 - name of the nuclide, isotope.
2 - E: isotope symbol with mass number (superscript; number of nucleons) and Atomic number (subscript; number of protons).
3 - N: number of neutrons.
4 - relative atomic mass of the Beryllium isotope (isotopic mass including electrons) and the mass of the atomic nucleus in square brackets (nuclear mass, nuclide mass without electrons), each related to 12C = 12.00000 [2]. In addition, the mass excess is given in MeV.
5 - nuclear spin I, unit: h/2π.
6 - source nuclides: Possible, assumed or actual source nuclides (mother nuclides, parent nuclides). If applicable, the corresponding decay modes can be found in the data for the respective starting nuclide.
7 - isotope notation in short form.
8 - decay: half-live of the Beryllium isotope (a = years; ; d = days; h = hours; min = minutes; s = seconds).
9 - decay mode: type of decay into the respective daughter nuclides with n = neutron emission; p = proton emission; α = alpha decay; β- = beta minus decay with electron emission; EC = electron capture; β+ = positron emission; ε = β+ and/or EC; Iso = isomeric transition; CD = cluster decay; SF = spontaneous decay.
10 - decay probability in percent (%).
11 - decay energy; Particle energy related to decay type.
12 - other information and notes: AL = Adopted Levels (link to external data [1]).
Miscellaneous:
()- Numbers in brackets: uncertainty to represent the spread of the reported value.
~ - Theoretical values or systematic trends.
- unlisted-: Nuclides that have already been mentioned in the literature but for some reason can no longer be found in the current nuclide tables because their discovery e.g. has not confirmed.
| Nuclide quantity 1) spin | Nuclear magnetic moment μ/μN | Gyromagnetic ratio {Quadrupole moment} | Resonant frequency v0 bei 1 T | Relative sensitivity H0 = const. v0 = const. 3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9Be 100 % 3/2- | -1,177430(5) | - 3,9575 {+ 0,05288(38)} | 5,9842 | 0,01388 0,7028 |
1) Quantity Percentage of natural occurrence.
2) Gyromagnetic ratio: 107 rad T-1 s-1
Quadrupole moment: Q [barn] = [100 fm2]
3) Related to 1H = 1,000.
According to the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV 2018, Germany), the following values (columns 1 to 7) apply to the handling of Beryllium radionuclides:
| Nuclide | Limit Value | HASS limit | SC | Daughter Nuclides | Half-life | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Be-7 | 107 Bq | 10 Bq/g | 1 TBq | 100 Bq/cm2 | 53.2 d | |
| Be-10 | 106 Bq | 100 Bq/g | 1000 TBq | 1.6 × 106 a | ||
(HASS = High-Activity Sealed Radioactive Sources; SC = surface contamination)
Properties of the Beryllium nucleides
[1] - NuDat: National Nuclear Data Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, based on ENSDF and the Nuclear Wallet Cards.
[2] - G. Audi et. al.: The NUBASE evaluation of nuclear and decay properties. Nuclear Physics, (2003), DOI 10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2003.11.001.
[3] - Live Chart of Nuclides. Nuclear structure and decay data.
Beryllium: NMR properties - 9Be-NMR
[4] - N. J. Stone: Table of nuclear magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole moments. Atomic Data and Nuclear Data Tables, (2005), DOI 10.1016/j.adt.2005.04.001.
[5] - Pekka Pyykkö: Year-2008 nuclear quadrupole moments. Molecular Physics, (2008), DOI 10.1080/00268970802018367.
[6] - Pekka Pyykkö: Year-2017 nuclear quadrupole moments. Molecular Physics, (2018), DOI 10.1080/00268976.2018.1426131.
[7] - N. J. Stone: Table of recommended nuclear magnetic dipole moments. IAEA, (2019).
More sources:
[8] - Isotopic abundances, atomic weights and isotopic masses: see respective keyword.
[9] - NN:
Atomkern mit Heiligenschein.
In: Wissenschaftler vermessen erstmals Ein-Neutron-Halo mit Lasern, Internetchemie News, (2009).
Last update: 2022-12-12
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