4 ms·

> they all have half lives less than a day. Isn't it the case it is currently not possible to create any neutron heavy isotopes and that causes the half-lives

• philipkglass 3y ago
  Isn't it the case it is currently not possible to create any neutron heavy isotopes and that causes the half-lives to be on the low end? All of these isotopes are neutron-heavy. Lawrencium 261 has 103 protons and 158 neutrons, for example. In fact, the only stable isotopes with fewer neutrons than protons are helium 3 and ordinary hydrogen (protium).
  • saalweachter 3y ago
    I think he's referring to the way that eg lawrencium has a half-life that ~increases with the neutrons in the isotopes we've produced, from seconds for Lr-256 to hours for Lr-266. It isn't crazy to postulate, as a layman, that if we synthesized Lr-276, say, it might have a longer half-life. (Not that we expect that pattern to continue indefinitely, but still, have we discovered the most stable isotope of lawrencium yet?)