144Nd

144Nd, or neodymium-144, is a stable isotope of the lanthanide element neodymium (Nd), which has 60 protons and 84 neutrons. It is one of several stable isotopes that occur naturally in neodymium and contributes a notable portion of natural Nd found in the Earth's crust.

Natural occurrence and significance: Neodymium in nature consists of multiple stable isotopes, including 142Nd, 143Nd, 144Nd, 145Nd, 146Nd, 148Nd, and 150Nd. Among these, 144Nd is relatively abundant compared with some other Nd isotopes and is commonly present in Nd-bearing minerals. The stable character of 144Nd makes it a useful reference in isotopic studies.

Nuclear properties: As a stable, non-radioactive isotope, 144Nd does not undergo radioactive decay under normal conditions. Its presence helps define the natural isotopic composition of neodymium, which is important for geochemical and cosmochemical analyses.

Applications and use in research: The neodymium isotopic system is central to Sm-Nd dating, where the decay of 147Sm to 143Nd (with a half-life of about 106 billion years) is used to date rocks and to investigate planetary differentiation and mantle-crust evolution. The stable 144Nd isotope serves as a reference component for isotope ratio mass spectrometry and for calibrating analyses of Nd isotopic compositions. Studies of Nd isotopes, including 144Nd, support investigations into crustal formation, mantle processes, and the sources of terrestrial and meteoritic materials.

See also: Neodymium, Isotopes, Sm-Nd dating, Geochemistry.