On nuclear charts and in lab reference tables, platinum’s isotopes appear across spectroscopy, geochemistry and materials research, helping scientists track reactions, date samples, and probe atomic behavior.
There are 7 Platinum Isotopes, ranging from 195mPt,Pt-198; information for each is organized as Mass number (A),Half-life (s/min/h/d/y),Natural abundance (%), which you’ll find below.
Are these isotopes found in nature or made in the lab?
Some platinum isotopes occur naturally at low abundances, while others are primarily produced in reactors or accelerators for study. Check the “Natural abundance (%)” and “Half-life” columns below to see which are naturally present and which require artificial production.
What does the notation and the half-life units mean (s/min/h/d/y)?
Mass number (A) is the total protons plus neutrons; an “m” (as in 195mPt) denotes a metastable excited state. The half-life column uses units s/min/h/d/y to show seconds, minutes, hours, days or years so you can quickly compare stability across isotopes.
Platinum Isotopes
| Isotope | Mass number (A) | Half-life (s/min/h/d/y) | Natural abundance (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pt-190 | 190 | 650,000,000,000 y | 0.01% |
| Pt-192 | 192 | stable | 0.78% |
| Pt-194 | 194 | stable | 32.97% |
| Pt-195 | 195 | stable | 33.83% |
| Pt-196 | 196 | stable | 25.24% |
| Pt-198 | 198 | stable | 7.16% |
| 195mPt | 195 | 4.02 d | none |
Images and Descriptions
Pt-190
Very long-lived radioisotope; alpha decay to 186Os. Found naturally in platinum ores as a primordial isotope, identified by mass spectrometry; mainly of geochronological and nuclear-research interest, with trace natural abundance and limited practical use.
Pt-192
Stable, non-radioactive isotope present in natural platinum. Identified early by mass spectrometry; no decay. Useful in atomic-mass standards, nuclear cross-section measurements, and as part of isotopic fingerprints for geochemical and industrial studies.
Pt-194
Stable isotope making up a large fraction of natural platinum. No decay; identified by mass spectrometry. Common in metallic platinum and ores, important for isotopic composition studies, calibration standards, and geochemical tracing.
Pt-195
Stable and the most abundant platinum isotope; has nonzero nuclear spin used in 195Pt NMR spectroscopy. Identified by mass spectrometry; no decay. Widely important in chemical analysis, catalysis research, and isotopic characterization.
Pt-196
Stable isotope commonly found in natural platinum. No radioactive decay; identified by mass spectrometry. Significant contributor to the element’s average atomic mass and used in isotopic and materials analyses.
Pt-198
Stable isotope present in natural platinum. No decay; identified by mass spectrometry. Used in isotopic composition determinations and high-precision measurements for geoscience and materials science.
195mPt
Metastable (isomer) of 195Pt with ~4.02-day half-life; decays by gamma emission/internal transition to 195Pt ground state. Produced in reactors and accelerators; used in nuclear spectroscopy and research, not found naturally.
