Fe54

Fe-54 is a stable isotope of iron with mass number 54. It contains 26 protons and 28 neutrons. In nature, about 5.8% of iron is Fe-54, making it the second-most-abundant stable iron isotope after Fe-56. It is stable and non-radioactive, with a ground-state nuclear spin of 0+.

Origin and significance: Fe-54 is produced in stellar nucleosynthesis and is preserved in meteorites and terrestrial rocks. Its relative abundance, together with other iron isotopes, is used in geochemical and cosmochemical investigations to study nucleosynthesis and the chemical evolution of the galaxy.

Applications and measurement: Fe-54 is commonly measured in isotopic analyses of iron-containing materials using mass spectrometry. Because iron contains several stable isotopes, the Fe-54/Fe-56 ratio is used in meteoritic studies and in calibrating analytical techniques. It can also contribute to dating or tracing processes in geology, though it is not used for radiometric dating due to its stability.

Discovery: The iron isotopes, including Fe-54, were identified in the early 20th century through mass spectrometry work led by Francis W. Aston and collaborators.