lead-206

chemical isotope

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June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

Lead-206 is a stable isotope of lead that is the end product of the radioactive decay series of uranium-238. This means that over a very long period, uranium transforms into lead-206 through a series of radioactive decay steps.123

The concept of half-life is crucial here. A half-life is the time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay into a different form. While lead-206 itself is stable, the isotopes that decay into it, like lead-210, have measurable half-lives. This decay process is utilized in lead-210 dating, a method used to determine the age of materials, particularly recent sediments, by measuring the ratio of lead-210 to lead-206.41

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alpha decay
…decays by alpha emission to lead-206 (atomic number 82).
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…decays by alpha emission to lead-206 (atomic number 82).
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excitation
For the nucleus of lead-206, as an example, the excitation energy of the first excited state is 0.80 million electron volts and of the second excited state 1.18 million electron volts.
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For the nucleus of lead-206, as an example, the excitation energy of the first excited state is 0.80 million electron volts and of the second excited state 1.18 million electron volts.
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