The half-lives of some oxygen isotopes are as follows: Oxygen- 14=71 s Oxygen-15 =124 s

step 1 The half -lives of some oxygen isotopes are shown below. You'll notice that some of them have re

The half-lives of some oxygen isotopes are as follows: ...

The half-lives of some oxygen isotopes are as follows: \[ \begin{array}{ll} \text { Oxygen- } 14=71 \mathrm{s} & \text { Oxygen-15 }=124 \mathrm{s} \\ \text { Oxygen-19 }=29 \mathrm{s} & \text { Oxygen-20 }=14 \mathrm{s} \end{array} \] Oxygen-16 is the stable, nonradioactive isotope. Do the half-lives indicate anything about the stability of the other oxygen isotopes?

The half-lives of some oxygen isotopes are as follows:
\[
\begin{array}{ll}
\text { Oxygen- } 14=71 \mathrm{s} & \text { Oxygen-15 }=124 \mathrm{s} \\
\text { Oxygen-19 }=29 \mathrm{s} & \text { Oxygen-20 }=14 \mathrm{s}
\end{array}
\]
Oxygen-16 is the stable, nonradioactive isotope. Do the half-lives indicate anything about the stability of the other oxygen isotopes?

Key Concepts

Nuclear Stability

Nuclear stability refers to the ability of an atomic nucleus to remain unchanged over time. The stability of a nucleus depends on the balance between the forces acting within it, particularly the strong nuclear force and electromagnetic repulsion among protons. A stable nucleus does not undergo spontaneous decay, while an unstable nucleus is likely to decay, as indicated by its measurable half-life. This concept is key to understanding why certain isotopes exist only briefly in nature or in laboratory conditions.

Half-Life

The half-life of a radioactive substance is the time required for half of a quantity of the substance to undergo radioactive decay. It is a quantitative measure of how quickly a particular isotope decays. A shorter half-life implies a more rapidly decaying and generally less stable isotope, whereas a longer half-life indicates greater stability over time.

Isotopes

Isotopes are variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. This difference in neutron count can lead to variations in nuclear stability, making some isotopes stable while others are radioactive. Understanding isotopes is essential in nuclear chemistry and physics, as their properties determine how they participate in natural decay processes or are utilized in various applications.

Radioactive Decay

Radioactive decay is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation. This process transforms the original nucleus into a different element or a different isotope of the same element over time. The decay proceeds in a probabilistic manner, and the concept of radioactive decay is foundational in understanding how and why certain isotopes are less stable than others.

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