Isotopes of phosphorus

Although phosphorus (₁₅P) has 22 known isotopes from ²⁶P to ⁴⁷P; only ³¹P is stable, thus phosphorus is considered a monoisotopic element. The longest-lived radioactive isotopes are ³³P with a half-life of 25.35 days and ³²P with a half-life of 14.269 days. All others have half-lives of under 2.5 minutes, most under a second.

List of isotopes

|-id=Phosphorus-26 | rowspan=3|²⁶P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 11 | rowspan=3|26.011806(11) | rowspan=3|43.6(3)&nbsp;ms | β⁺ (62.9%) | ²⁶Si | rowspan=3|(3)+ | rowspan=3| |- | β⁺, p (35.1%) | ²⁵Al |- | β⁺, 2p (1.99%) | ²⁴Mg |-id=Phosphorus-26m | style="text-indent:1em"|^26mP | colspan=3 style="text-indent:2em"|164.4(1)&nbsp;keV | 115(8)&nbsp;ns | IT | ²⁶P | (1+) | |-id=Phosphorus-27 | rowspan=2|²⁷P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 12 | rowspan=2|26.9992925(97) | rowspan=2|260(80)&nbsp;ms | β⁺ (99.93%) | ²⁷Si | rowspan=2|1/2+ | rowspan=2| |- | β⁺, p (0.07%) | ²⁶Al |-id=Phosphorus-28 | rowspan=3|²⁸P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 13 | rowspan=3|27.9923265(12) | rowspan=3|270.3(5)&nbsp;ms | β⁺ | ²⁸Si | rowspan=3|3+ | rowspan=3| |- | β⁺, p (.0013%) | ²⁷Al |- | β⁺, α (8.6×10^{−4}%) | ²⁴Mg |-id=Phosphorus-29 | ²⁹P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 14 | 28.98180037(39) | 4.102(4)&nbsp;s | β⁺ | ²⁹Si | 1/2+ | |-id=Phosphorus-30 | ³⁰P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 15 | 29.978313490(69) | 2.5000(17)&nbsp;min | β⁺ | ³⁰Si | 1+ | |-id=Phosphorus-31 | ³¹P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 16 | 30.97376199768(80) | colspan=3 align=center|Stable | 1/2+ | 1.0000 |- | ³²P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 17 | 31.973907643(42) | 14.269(7)&nbsp;d | β^− | ³²S | 1+ |Trace |- | ³³P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 18 | 32.9717257(12) | 25.35(11)&nbsp;d | β^− | ³³S | 1/2+ | |-id=Phosphorus-34 | ³⁴P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 19 | 33.97364589(87) | 12.43(10)&nbsp;s | β^− | ³⁴S | 1+ | |-id=Phosphorus-35 | ³⁵P | style="text-align:right" | 15 | style="text-align:right" | 20 | 34.9733140(20) | 47.3(8)&nbsp;s | β^− | ³⁵S | 1/2+ | |-id=Phosphorus-36 | rowspan=2|³⁶P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 21 | rowspan=2|35.978260(14) | rowspan=2|5.6(3)&nbsp;s | β^− | ³⁶S | rowspan=2|4− | rowspan=2| |- | β^−, n? | ³⁵S |-id=Phosphorus-37 | rowspan=2|³⁷P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 22 | rowspan=2|36.979607(41) | rowspan=2|2.31(13)&nbsp;s | β^− | ³⁷S | rowspan=2|(1/2+) | rowspan=2| |- | β^−, n? | ³⁶S |-id=Phosphorus-38 | rowspan=2|³⁸P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 23 | rowspan=2|37.984303(78) | rowspan=2|0.64(14)&nbsp;s | β^− (88%) | ³⁸S | rowspan=2|(2−) | rowspan=2| |- | β^−, n (12%) | ³⁷S |-id=Phosphorus-39 | rowspan=2|³⁹P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 24 | rowspan=2|38.98629(12) | rowspan=2|282(24)&nbsp;ms | β^− (74%) | ³⁹S | rowspan=2|(1/2+) | rowspan=2| |- | β^−, n (26%) | ³⁸S |-id=Phosphorus-40 | rowspan=3|⁴⁰P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 25 | rowspan=3|39.991262(90) | rowspan=3|150(8)&nbsp;ms | β^− (84.2%) | ⁴⁰S | rowspan=3|(2−,3−) | rowspan=3| |- | β^−, n (15.8%) | ³⁹S |- | β^−, 2n? | ³⁸S |-id=Phosphorus-41 | rowspan=3|⁴¹P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 26 | rowspan=3|40.99465(13) | rowspan=3|101(5)&nbsp;ms | β^− (70%) | ⁴¹S | rowspan=3|1/2+# | rowspan=3| |- | β^−, n (30%) | ⁴⁰S |- | β^−, 2n? | ³⁹S |-id=Phosphorus-42 | rowspan=3|⁴²P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 27 | rowspan=3|42.00117(10) | rowspan=3|48.5(15)&nbsp;ms | β^− (50%) | ⁴²S | rowspan=3| | rowspan=3| |- | β^−, n (50%) | ⁴¹S |- | β^−, 2n? | ⁴⁰S |-id=Phosphorus-43 | rowspan=2|⁴³P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 28 | rowspan=2|43.00541(32)# | rowspan=2|35.8(13)&nbsp;ms | β^−, n | ⁴²S | rowspan=2|(1/2+) | rowspan=2| |- | β^−, 2n ? | ⁴¹S |-id=Phosphorus-44 | rowspan=3|⁴⁴P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 29 | rowspan=3|44.01193(43)# | rowspan=3|18.5(25)&nbsp;ms | β^−, n (55%) | ⁴³S | rowspan=3| | rowspan=3| |- | β^− (24%) | ⁴⁴S |- | β^−, 2n (21%) | ⁴²S |-id=Phosphorus-45 | rowspan=2|⁴⁵P | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=2 style="text-align:right" | 30 | rowspan=2|45.01713(54)# | rowspan=2|24(7&nbsp;(stat), 9&nbsp;(sys))&nbsp;ms | β^−, n (79%) | ⁴⁴S | rowspan=2|1/2+# | rowspan=2| |- | β^−, 2n (21%) | ⁴³S |-id=Phosphorus-46 | rowspan=3|⁴⁶P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 31 | rowspan=3|46.02452(54)# | rowspan=3|9#&nbsp;ms<br />[>200&nbsp;ns] | β^−? | ⁴⁶S | rowspan=3| | rowspan=3| |- | β^−, n? | ⁴⁵S |- | β^−, 2n? | ⁴⁴S |-id=Phosphorus-47 | rowspan=3|⁴⁷P | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 15 | rowspan=3 style="text-align:right" | 32 | rowspan=3|47.03093(64)# | rowspan=3|4#&nbsp;ms<br />[>400&nbsp;ns] | β^− | ⁴⁷S | rowspan=3|1/2+# | rowspan=3| |- | β^−, n? | ⁴⁶S |- | β^−, 2n? | ⁴⁵S

Radioactive isotopes

Phosphorus-32

³²P is a radioactive isotope of phosphorus with relative atomic mass 31.973907 and half-life of 14.26 days. ³²P is a radioactive isotope of phosphorus with beta particle-emitting radiocytotoxic activity. Emitted by ³²P, beta particles directly damage cellular DNA and, by ionizing intracellular water to produce several types of cytotoxic free radicals and superoxides, indirectly damage intracellular biological macromolecules, resulting in tumor cell death.

Phosphorus-33

³³P is an artificial radioactive element produced with a low yield by the neutron bombardment of ³¹P (stable). It is a pure β-emitter, like ³²P, and can be used as an alternative to it in research in molecular biology. Indeed, its longer life time and especially its smaller decay energy make its manipulation simpler in the laboratory. In the medical field, ³³P has been used in the treatment of arterial stenosis but is no longer indicated at this time.

See also

• Sulfur isotope biogeochemistry

Daughter products other than phosphorus

• Isotopes of sulfur
• Isotopes of silicon
• Isotopes of aluminum
• Isotopes of magnesium

References