80Se

80Se is the stable isotope of the element selenium with mass number 80. It has 34 protons and 46 neutrons. It is one of the six stable isotopes that occur naturally for selenium.

In nature, selenium exists as a mixture of isotopes, with 80Se contributing a substantial portion of the element’s abundance. The natural abundance of 80Se is about 49.6%, making it the most common selenium isotope in many samples, though exact percentages can vary slightly by source.

Nuclear properties of 80Se include its status as an even–even nucleus, which typically corresponds to a ground-state spin of 0+ for stable isotopes. Because it is stable, 80Se does not undergo radioactive decay under normal conditions. The binding energy per nucleon for isotopes in this region is around 8.4 MeV, reflecting the overall stability of mid-range nuclei.

Occurrence and applications: 80Se occurs in selenium-bearing minerals and is part of the natural isotopic mix of selenium. Stable isotopes like 80Se are widely used in isotope ratio measurements and geochemical tracing, where precise determinations of isotope abundances help in studying geological processes, dietary selenium sources, and related topics.

Related isotopes include the other stable selenium isotopes 74Se, 76Se, 77Se, 78Se, and 82Se. As a common stable isotope, 80Se is often encountered in analytical chemistry, geochemistry, and cosmochemical studies involving selenium.