Nd150

Nd-150, or neodymium-150, is a nuclide of the chemical element neodymium (Nd), which has atomic number 60. It is one of the stable isotopes of neodymium, meaning it does not undergo radioactive decay under normal conditions. The nucleus contains 60 protons and 90 neutrons, and, as an even-even isotope, it is commonly described with a ground-state spin-parity of 0+.

Natural occurrence and abundance: Nd-150 occurs naturally as part of natural neodymium samples. It represents a small but detectable fraction of neodymium by natural abundance, on the order of a few percent, with the exact proportion varying by source.

Nuclear and practical significance: As a stable isotope, Nd-150 is used in isotopic abundance measurements and in studies of geochemistry and cosmochemistry, where the Nd isotopic system helps investigate crustal formation and mantle differentiation. In addition to its role in standard isotope geology, Nd-150 is notable in nuclear physics as a candidate for double beta decay experiments. The isotope can undergo double beta decay to 150Sm, with a relatively high decay Q-value among such isotopes, around 3.37 MeV. Searches for neutrinoless double beta decay in Nd-150 aim to probe fundamental properties of neutrinos, though no conclusive observation has yet been reported, and experiments have established lower bounds on its half-life.

Related isotopes: Nd-150 is part of the broader suite of neodymium isotopes, which also include Nd-142, Nd-143, Nd-144, Nd-145, Nd-146, and Nd-148. These isotopes together account for the natural isotopic composition of neodymium and enable diverse analytical applications.