Practice question
Question
Which isotope has the longest half-life?
Explanation
Half-life reflects nuclear stability. Phosphorus-32 survives about 14 days, sulfur-35 about 87 days, and sodium-24 only 15 hours, making them short-lived tracers for rapid biological processes. Carbon-14, with 5730 years, decays extremely slowly because its neutron-proton ratio is close to stability and its beta decay energy is remarkably low. This exceptional longevity allows survival over geological time, enabling radiocarbon dating and long-term ecological labeling. Among listed choices, carbon-14 retains radioactivity far longer than other common biological isotopes, giving maximum half-life.
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