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Copper-64

Properties and data of the isotope 64Cu.


Contents

 

Copper-64 isotope

Copper-64 is a radioisotope of the chemical element copper. The atomic nucleus of the nuclide 64Cu consists of the element-specific 29 protons and 35 neutrons; the mass number 64 results from the sum of these nucleons.

In practice, 64Cu is used as a medical radionuclide (see below) - there are no practical technical applications.

See also: list of Copper isotopes.

 

General data

Name of the isotope:Copper-64; Cu-64Symbol:64Cu or 6429CuMass number A:64 (= number of nucleons)Atomic number Z:29 (= number of protons)Neutrons N:35Isotopic mass:63.9297640(5) u (atomic weight of Copper-64)Nuclide mass:63.9138556 u (calculated nuclear mass without electrons)Mass excess:-65.42441 MeVMass defect:0.600433988 u (per nucleus)Nuclear binding energy:559.30065722 MeV (per nucleus)
8.73907277 MeV (average binding energy per nucleon)
Separation energy:SN = 7.915868(24) MeV (first neutron)
SP = 7.200498(28) MeV (first proton)
Half-life:12.7006(20) hDecay constant λ:1.515998326763 × 10-5 s-1Specific activity α:1.449135788443 × 10+17 Bq g-1
3916583.2120103 Ci g-1
Spin and parity:
(nuclear angular momentum)
1+Magnetic dipole moment:μ(μN) = -0.2166(4)Year of discovery:1936

 

Radioactive Decay

Copper-64 decays radioactively via three modes including positron emission (17.52% β+), electron emission (38.5% β; Auger electrons) and electron capture (44.0% EE).

Half-life T½ = 12.7006(20) h (hours) respectively 4.572216 × 104 seconds s.

Decay
mode
DaughterProbabilityDecay energyDetailsγ energy
(intensity)
β-64Zn38.48(3) %0.5796(6) MeV1.346 MeV
(0.472(4) %)
ε64Ni61.52(3) %1.6746(6) MeVβ+: 17.52 % (652.62 keV)
EE: 44.0 %

 

Copper-64 decay scheme

 

Parent Nuclides

Direct parent isotopes are: 64Zn, 64Ni.

 

Formation

Copper-64 does not occur naturally and must be produced artificially; several processes are available for this, which are carried out in nuclear power plants or a biomedical cyclotron. Starting materials include the stable natural and possibly enriched isotopes nickel-64, zinc-64 and copper-63. The corresponding reactions are:

 

Copper-64 as a Radionuclide in Medicine

Due to its radiation properties in combination with its short half-life, copper-64 is a medical radionuclide that is suitable for both positron emission tomography (64Cu-PET) and for cancer radiation therapy (theranostic).

Substance monographs are available for the following 64Cu radiopharmaceuticals:

- Copper dotatate Cu-64.

 

NMR data

Nuclear magnetic properties of the NMR active Nuclide 64Cu

Isotope:64Cu-NMRQuantity:Does not occur in nature!Spin:1+Nuclearmagnetic moment
μ/μN:
-0.2166(4)Nuclear g-factor:gl = -0.2166Quadrupole moment Q:0.075(9) barn (100 fm2)Line width parameter (factor):l = 281.25 fm4

The copper-64 nucleus is basically suitable for NMR spectroscopy.

 

Isotones and Isobars

The following table shows the atomic nuclei that are isotonic (same neutron number N = 35) and isobaric (same nucleon number A = 64) with Copper-64. Naturally occurring isotopes are marked in green; light green = naturally occurring radionuclides.

 

ZIsotone N = 35Isobar A = 64
1853Ar
1954K
2055Ca
2156Sc
2257Ti
2358V64V
2459Cr64Cr
2560Mn64Mn
2661Fe64Fe
2762Co64Co
2863Ni64Ni
2964Cu64Cu
3065Zn64Zn
3166Ga64Ga
3267Ge64Ge
3368As64As
3469Se64Se
3570Br
3671Kr
3772Rb
3873Sr

 

External data and identifiers

CAS:13981-25-4InChI Key:RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-IGMARMGPSA-NSMILES:[64Cu]PubChem:ID 105141Adopted Levels, Gammas:NuDat 64Cu

 

Literature and References

[0] - Research articles in scientific journals via PubMed: Copper-64.

[1] - Yeye Zhou et al.:
64Cu-based Radiopharmaceuticals in Molecular Imaging.
In: Technology in Cancer Research & Treatment, (2019), DOI 10.1177/1533033819830.

[2] - Olga O. Krasnovskaya et al.:
Recent Advances in 64Cu/67Cu-Based Radiopharmaceuticals.
In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24(11):9154, (2023), DOI 10.3390/ijms24119154.

[3] - Gaia Dellepiane, Pierluigi Casolaro, Isidre Mateu, Paola Scampoli , Saverio Braccini:
Alternative routes for 64Cu production using an 18 MeV medical cyclotron in view of theranostic applications.
In: Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 191, 110518, (2023), DOI 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110518.

 


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Last update: 2024-08-19


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