76Se

76Se is a stable isotope of the element selenium with mass number 76. It is one of the six stable selenium isotopes, the others being 74Se, 77Se, 78Se, 80Se, and 82Se. The nucleus has 34 protons (the atomic number of selenium) and 42 neutrons, giving an atomic mass near 75.92 unified atomic mass units.

Natural occurrence and abundance: 76Se accounts for roughly 9 percent of natural selenium. As a stable isotope, it does not undergo radioactive decay under ordinary conditions, making it useful as a reference and tracer in isotopic studies.

Production and distribution: Like other selenium isotopes, 76Se is formed and distributed through natural geological and biological processes. It appears in trace amounts in selenium-bearing minerals and in biological materials, contributing to the overall isotopic composition used in geochemical and environmental analyses.

Applications and relevance: 76Se is widely used in isotope ratio measurements to study selenium sources, cycling, and metabolism in ecological and biomedical research. Stable-isotope analyses involving 76Se, together with other selenium isotopes, help identify contamination sources, track nutrient pathways, and calibrate mass spectrometry instruments. Its stability and natural abundance make it a convenient participant in studies of selenium chemistry and biogeochemistry.

Notes: As a stable isotope, 76Se does not provide information about radioactive decay schemes. Its value lies in its relatively abundant presence among selenium isotopes and its role in high-precision isotopic analyses.