Boron-10 is one of the two isotopes that make up natural boron deposits. The atomic nucleus consists of 5 neutrons and the element-specific 5 protons.
The stable nuclide has a very high capture cross section (3837 barns) for low-energy thermal neutrons (< 0.5 MeV). After neutron capture, the 10B nucleus turns into an excited boron-11 nucleus (11B*; t1/2 = 10-12 s), which immediately decays to Lithium-7 and an α-particle (helium-4):
10B + 0n → 11B* → 4He + 7Li + 2.31 MeV.
Due to this property, the stable 10B isotope is used in enriched form, for example in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) for the experimental treatment of some brain tumors. The emitted radiation has the special feature that it releases a relatively high energy over its very short path (< 10 μm; comparable to the diameter of a cell) [2].
In nuclear technology, boron-10 is used as an absorption material in control rods for nuclear reactors.
See also: list of Boron isotopes.
Direct parent isotopes are: 10Be, 10C.
Atomic Mass ma | Quantity | Half-life | Spin | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boron Isotopic mixture | 10.81 u | 100 % | ||
Isotope 10B | 10.012937(3) u | 19.65 % [18.9 - 20.4 %] | stable | 3+ |
Isotope 11B | 11.009305(3) u | 80.35 % [79.6 - 81.1 %] | stable | 3/2- |
Nuclear magnetic properties of the NMR active Nuclide 10B
Both naturally occurring boron isotopes are NMR active and quadrupolar. However, 10B NMR spectroscopy is rarely used. The 10B nucleus is less sensitive than 11B and shows broader signals in the NMR spectrum.
Z | Isotone N = 5 | Isobar A = 10 |
---|---|---|
1 | 6H | |
2 | 7He | 10He |
3 | 8Li | 10Li |
4 | 9Be | 10Be |
5 | 10B | 10B |
6 | 11C | 10C |
7 | 12N | 10N |
8 | 13O | |
9 | 14F | |
10 | 15Ne |
[1] - Shuang Song, Yujun Mu, Xiaofeng Li, Peng Bai:
Advances in boron-10 isotope separation by chemical exchange distillation.
In: Annals of Nuclear Energy, 27(1), (2010), DOI 10.1016/j.anucene.2009.10.008.
[2] - Mayya Alexandrovna Dymova et al.:
Boron neutron capture therapy: Current status and future perspectives.
In: Cancer Communications, 40(9), (2020), DOI 10.1002/cac2.12089.
[3] - A. V. Khoroshilov, P. I. Ivanov:
Boron isotope separation by extraction method: features of the phase composition and flow reflux.
In: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2147, 012018, (2022), DOI 10.1088/1742-6596/2147/1/012018.
Last update: 2024-09-25
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