Ti48

Ti-48 is a stable isotope of the element titanium with a mass number of 48. It has 22 protons and 26 neutrons. In natural titanium, Ti-48 is the most abundant isotope, comprising about 74% of all titanium atoms.

Nuclear properties of Ti-48 include that it is an even-even nucleus, and its ground-state spin and parity are J^P = 0+. It is stable and does not undergo radioactive decay.

Occurrence and significance: Ti-48 occurs in terrestrial rocks and minerals where titanium is present, notably in common titanium-bearing minerals such as rutile (TiO2) and ilmenite (FeTiO3). Because of its high natural abundance, Ti-48 is the dominant contributor to the atomic weight of natural titanium and is frequently used as a reference isotope in isotope ratio analyses. In geochemical and cosmochemical studies, Ti-48 helps inform investigations into planetary differentiation, nucleosynthetic processes, and the composition of meteorites.

See also: isotopes of titanium.