Isotopes of molybdenum

Isotopes of molybdenum (42Mo)
Main isotopes Decay
abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct
92Mo 14.7% stable
93Mo synth 4839 y ε 93Nb
94Mo 9.19% stable
95Mo 15.9% stable
96Mo 16.7% stable
97Mo 9.58% stable
98Mo 24.3% stable
99Mo synth 65.94 h β 99mTc
γ
100Mo 9.74% 7.07×1018 y ββ 100Ru
Standard atomic weight Ar°(Mo)

Molybdenum (42Mo) has 39 known isotopes, ranging in atomic mass from 81 to 119, as well as four metastable nuclear isomers. Seven isotopes occur naturally, with atomic masses of 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 100. All unstable isotopes of molybdenum decay into isotopes of zirconium, niobium, technetium, and ruthenium.

Molybdenum-100, with a half-life of 7.07×1018 years, is the only naturally occurring radioisotope. It undergoes double beta decay into ruthenium-100. Molybdenum-98 is the most common isotope, comprising 24.14% of all molybdenum on Earth.