rapid decay

Uranium-241, like all uranium isotopes, has 92 protons. However, the new isotope contains 149 neutrons, making it the first neutron-rich uranium subspecies discovered since 1979. It only needs 40 minutes to separate into other elements.

Different isotopes of uranium may contain different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. Isotopes can be stable when they maintain their atomic configuration, or unstable when they gain and lose protons and decay into other elements. The rate of decay is measured by the half-life of the isotope, or the time it takes for half of the material to decay into other elements.

The team of scientists has not yet measured the half-life of uranium-241 in practice, but according to theoretical estimates it is about 40 minutes. This is extremely small for the half-life.

Japanese researchers synthesized uranium-241 by starting a sample of uranium-238 on platinum-198 cores using the RIKEN accelerator system. During the experiment, 18 new isotopes were obtained, each containing between 143 and 150 neutrons.

The scientists say that uranium-241 probably has no useful practical or scientific applications because the isotope is produced in extremely small quantities.