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Mercury-206: a New Natural Radionuclide

Nature volume 190, pages 427–428 (1961)Cite this article

Abstract

ACCORDING to Cameron's mass formula1, the value of Q α for lead-210 (radium D) should be 3.566 MeV., which would indicate an alpha half-life of the order of 1010 years and an alpha-branching of the order of 10−9. The same source gives 1.361 MeV. for the Q β of the hitherto unknown mercury-206, which is formed from lead-210 by alpha decay. From a closed cycle of reactions, the sum of Q α for lead-210 and Q β of mercury-206 is found to be 5.0 MeV.; the absence of known alpha-branching in lead-210 further suggests that the Q α for lead-210 does not appreciably exceed the value mentioned above. (This has been pointed out also by Prof. I. Perlmar; private communication by Dr. K. Hyde.)

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References

  1. Cameron, A. G. W., Canad. J. Phys., 35, 1021 (1957).

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  2. Nuclear Data Sheets, Set 6 (1958).

  3. Golenetskii, S. V., Rusinov, L. I., and Filimonov, Yu. I., JETP (U.S.S.R.), 37, 560 (1959).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland

    M. NURMIA, P. KAURANEN, M. KARRAS, A. SIIVOLA, A. ISOLA, G. GRAEFFE & A. LYYJYNEN

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  1. M. NURMIA
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  2. P. KAURANEN
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  7. A. LYYJYNEN
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NURMIA, M., KAURANEN, P., KARRAS, M. et al. Mercury-206: a New Natural Radionuclide. Nature 190, 427–428 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1038/190427b0

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