Isotope-ratio mass spectrometry isotopic make up of the sample is obtained. For example, carbon isotope ratios are measured relative to the international standard for C. The C standard is produced from a fossil belemnite found in the Peedee Formation, which is a limestone formed in the Cretaceous period in South Carolina, U.S.A. The fossil is referred to as VPDB (Vienna Pee Dee Belemnite) and has C:C ratio of 0.0112372. Oxygen isotope ratios are measured relative the standard, V-SMOW (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water). It is critical that the sample be processed before entering the mass spectrometer so that only a single chemical species
Isotopes of curium in the periodic table. The shortest-lived isomer is Cm with a half-life of 34 milliseconds. Isotopes of curium Curium (Cm) is an artificial element with an atomic number of 96. Because it is an artificial element, a standard atomic weight cannot be given, and it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope synthesized was Cm in 1944, which has 146 neutrons. There are 21 known radioisotopes with atomic masses ranging from Cm to Cm. There are also four known nuclear isomers (Cm, Cm, Cm, and Cm). The longest-lived isotope is Cm, with a half-life of 15.6 million years – several