Bismuth234

Bismuth-234 (Bi-234) is a hypothetical or extremely short-lived isotope of the element bismuth. It would contain 83 protons and 151 neutrons, for a mass number of 234. Like many heavy-nuclei with such a mass, Bi-234 would lie far from the valley of stability.

Bi-234 is not known to exist as a long-lived nuclide. If it can be formed, it would be expected to be highly unstable and decay rapidly. Possible decay modes include beta-minus decay to polonium-234 (to increase the proton number from 83 to 84) and alpha decay to thallium-230 (reducing both mass and atomic number). The actual decay pathway would depend on the detailed nuclear structure and energy balance of the specific nucleus.

Production of Bi-234 would involve high-energy nuclear reactions, such as spallation or fragmentation of heavier nuclei, or neutron-induced reactions followed by beta decay in accelerator or reactor environments. Detection would require fast, in-flight separation and highly sensitive radiation measurements due to its likely very short lifetime.

In the absence of precise experimental data, properties such as its exact half-life, spin, and parity remain uncertain. Bi-234 serves mainly as a theoretical example of how isotopes at extreme neutron-to-proton ratios behave, illustrating the broader challenges of mapping heavy-nucleus stability and decay pathways.

See also: isotopes of bismuth, nuclear decay, beta decay, alpha decay.