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Isotopes of Nitrogen

List, data and properties of all known isotopes of Nitrogen.

Content
Atomic properties
Decay properties
NMR active nuclides
Radiation protection
References
Nitrogen isotopes

The natural nitrogen that surrounds us consists of the stable isotopes 14N (> 99.5%) and 15N (< 0.4%). The CNO cycle of stellar nucleosynthesis is assumed to be the source of the 14N-nuclide.

 

Naturally Occurring Nitrogen Isotopes

Atomic Mass maQuantityHalf-lifeSpin
Nitrogen
Isotopic mixture		14,007 u100 %
Isotope 14N14,003074004(2) u99,6205 %stable1+
Isotope 15N15,000108899(4) u0,3795 %stable1/2-

 

The atomic mass of the natural isotope mixture fluctuates between 14.00643 and 14.00728 u due to the varying isotope distribution.

Nitrogen-15 is used in NMR spectroscopy despite its small proportion of natural nitrogen and the negative gyromagnetic ratio. as the 15N NMR spectrum shows broad lines.

Investigations on 15N-labeled proteins, which can be cultivated in appropriate nitrogen-14-free media, are also common.

In addition to the stable nitrogen isotopes, 14 radioactive isotopes and the nuclear isomer 11mN are known, the longest-lived of which has a half-life of less than 10 minutes.

 

Isotope Table: Nitrogen

The two following tables list the most important data and properties of the Nitrogen isotopes. Further information on the individual Nitrogen isotopes is listed on separate pages and can be accessed via the link in column 1.

 

Atomic Properties

Isotope
Nuclide		ENAtomic Mass
[Nuclear Mass]
{Mass Excess}		Spin I
(h/2π)		Parent
123456
Nitrogen-997N29 u
[8.99616 u]
{0 MeV}
Nitrogen-10107N310.04165(43) u
[10.03781 u]
{38.79673 MeV}		(1-)
Nitrogen-11117N411.026158(5) u
[11.022318 u]
{24.36602 MeV}		1/2+
Nitrogen-11m11m7N411.026158(5) u
[11.022318 u]
{24.36602 MeV}		1/2-
Nitrogen-12127N512.0186132(11) u
[12.0147732 u]
{17.33808 MeV}		1+
Nitrogen-13137N613.00573861(29) u
[13.0018986 u]
{5.34548 MeV}		1/2-13O
Nitrogen-14147N714.003074004(2) u
[13.999234 u]
{2.86342 MeV}		1+14O
14C
Nitrogen-15157N815.000108899(4) u
[14.9962689 u]
{0.10144 MeV}		1/2-15O
15C
Nitrogen-16167N916.0061019(25) u
[16.0022619 u]
{5.68388 MeV}		2-16C
Nitrogen-16m16m7N916.0061019(25) u
[16.0022619 u]
{5.68388 MeV}		0-
Nitrogen-17177N1017.008449(16) u
[17.004609 u]
{7.87019 MeV}		1/2-17C
Nitrogen-18187N1118.014078(20) u
[18.010238 u]
{13.11357 MeV}		1-18C
Nitrogen-19197N1219.017022(18) u
[19.013182 u]
{15.85589 MeV}		1/2-
Nitrogen-20207N1320.02337(8) u
[20.01953 u]
{21.76901 MeV}		(2-)20C
Nitrogen-21217N1421.02709(14) u
[21.02325 u]
{25.23417 MeV}		(1/2-)22C
Nitrogen-22227N1522.03410(22) u
[22.03026 u]
{31.76395 MeV}		(0-)
Nitrogen-23237N1623.03942(45) u
[23.03558 u]
{36.71949 MeV}		1/2-
Nitrogen-24247N1724.05039(43) u
[24.04655 u]
{46.93798 MeV}
Nitrogen-25257N1825.06010(54) u
[25.05626 u]
{55.98279 MeV}		1/2-

 

Radioactive Decay Properties

IsotopeRadioactive DecayExtern
Half-lifeDecay ModeProbabilityEnergy
789101112
N-9< 1 as5p → 4He
N-100.180(13) zsp → 9C100 %23.101(400) MeVAL
N-11550(20) ysp → 10C100 %1.827 MeVAL
N-11m6.9(80) × 10-22 sp → 10C100 %2.567 MeVAL
N-1211.000(16) msβ+ → 12C
β+, α → 8Be		98.07 %
1.93(4) %		17.3381(10) MeV
AL
N-139.965(4) minβ+ → 13C100 %2.22047(27) MeVAL
N-14stableAL
N-15stableAL
N-167.13(2) sβ- → 16O
β-, α → 12C		99.99 %
0.0012(5) %		10.4209(23) MeV
0.120 MeV		AL
N-16m5.25(6) μsIso 16N
β- 16O		99.9996 %
0.0004 %
N-174.173(4) sβ- → 17O
β-, n → 16O
β-, α → 13C		4.9975 %
95.0 %
0.0025 %		8.679(15) MeV
4.537 MeV
AL
N-18624(12) msβ- → 18O
β-, n → 17O
β-, α → 14C		73.5 %
14.3 %
12.2 %		13.896(19) MeV
5.851(19) MeV
AL
N-19271(8) msβ- → 19O
β-, n → 18O		45.4 %
54.6 %		12.523(17) MeV
8.568(16) MeV		AL
N-20134.4(37) msβ- → 20O
β-, n → 19O		42.9 %
57.1 %		17.97(8) MeV
10.36(8) MeV		AL
N-2184(7) msβ- → 21O
β-, n → 20O		14 %
86(4) %		17.17(13) MeV
13.36(13) MeV		AL
N-2223(3) msβ- → 22O
β-, n → 21O
β-, 2n → 20O		54 %
34(3) %
12(3) %		22.48(22) MeV
15.63(21)
AL
N-2314.1(15) msβ- → 23O
β-, n → 22O
β-, 2n → 21O
β-, 3n → 20O		46.6 %
42 %
8 %
< 3.4 %		22.10(44) MeV
19.37(42) MeV

AL
N-2452 nsn → 23N?AL
N-25< 260 nsn ? → 24NAL

 

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 Nitrogen 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 Nitrogen 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.

 

NMR active Nitrogen nuclides

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)
12N

1+		+ 0,4571(1)
{+0,0098(9)}
14N
99,6205 %
1+		+ 0,403573(2)1,9338
{0,02044(3)}		3,07770,00101
0,1928
15N
0,3795 %
1/2-		-0,2830569(14)- 2,712
{}		4,31730,00104
0,1014

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.

 

Radiation Protection

According to the Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV 2018, Germany), the following values (columns 1 to 7) apply to the handling of Nitrogen radionuclides:

NuclideLimit ValueHASS limitSCDaughter NuclidesHalf-life
N-13109 Bq100 Bq/g0,06 TBq< 10 min

(HASS = High-Activity Sealed Radioactive Sources; SC = surface contamination)

 

Literature Sources and References

Properties of the Nitrogen 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.

Nitrogen: NMR properties - 12N-NMR, 14N-NMR, 15N-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.

 

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