Francium223

Francium-223, designated Fr-223, is a radioactive isotope of the alkali metal francium (atomic number 87) with a mass number of 223. It is the most long-lived isotope of francium, with a half-life of about 22 minutes, and it lies far from the line of beta stability. The nucleus primarily decays through alpha emission to astatine-219, with rare beta decay channels observed under some conditions.

Fr-223 does not occur naturally in detectable quantities. Francium as a whole is extremely scarce in nature, and all of its isotopes, including Fr-223, are produced artificially in laboratories. Production methods include bombardment of heavy targets with high-energy protons or other ions in cyclotrons or other accelerators, using spallation or fusion-evaporation reactions. Because of the short half-life, any sample is rapidly consumed by decay, which limits the amount available for study.

In terms of chemistry, very little experimental data exist for Fr-223; as a member of group 1, francium would be expected to resemble cesium chemically, but the extreme radioactivity and short lifetimes make direct chemical investigations challenging. Fr-223 is mainly of interest for nuclear physics research, contributing to measurements of nuclear structure, decay schemes, and the properties of heavy, highly unstable nuclei.

Safety: handling of Fr-223 requires specialized facilities, remote handling, and substantial shielding due to intense radioactivity. Applications are limited to basic research and isotope production contexts, with no practical uses otherwise.