Isotope …, "m" are the atomic masses of each individual isotope, and "x", …, "x" are the relative abundances of these isotopes. Several applications exist that capitalize on properties of the various isotopes of a given element. Isotope separation is a significant technological challenge, particularly with heavy elements such as uranium or plutonium. Lighter elements such as lithium, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are commonly separated by gas diffusion of their compounds such as CO and NO. The separation of hydrogen and deuterium is unusual because it is based on chemical rather than physical properties, for example in the Girdler sulfide process.
Isotopes of fermium Isotopes of fermium Fermium (Fm) is a synthetic element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be discovered (in fallout from nuclear testing) was Fm in 1952. Fm was independently synthesized shortly after the discovery of Fm. There are 20 known radioisotopes ranging in atomic mass from Fm to Fm (Fm is unconfirmed), and 2 nuclear isomers, Fm and Fm. The longest-lived isotope is Fm with a half-life of 100.5 days, and the longest-lived isomer is Fm with a half-life of 1.8 seconds. Fm? was