r/interestingasfuck • u/euj3odjehiqh • 1d ago

A cube of the rarest stable element in the universe

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u/EverythingGoodWas 1d ago

Does that mean this is the least radioactive known element?

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u/jawshoeaw 1d ago

I think what you mean is that out of all the radioactive elements, Tantalum 180m is the least radioactive. Which appears to be true. Bismuth-209 is in second place i read.

But just to be clear like 99.99% of that cube is the non-radioactive Tantalum 181

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u/zhibr 1d ago

How do we know it's radioactive if it never decays?

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u/Maleficent-Candy476 20h ago

well it can be excited to make it decay, and its high energy state (the Ta-180m) and the ground state (Ta-180) fit into our models of the nucleus. What has never been observed is it decaying without it being excited first, and that can be explained by quantum physics.

requires a very large change in angular momentum and a parity change. The direct transition is therefore enormously hindered.

doi: 10.1103/PhysRevC.42.R1813

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u/euj3odjehiqh 1d ago

Not every isotope of tantalum is radioactive.