Cobalt-60, , is a
synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt with a
half-life of 5.2714 years. It is produced artificially in
nuclear reactors. Deliberate industrial production depends on
neutron activation of bulk samples of the
monoisotopic and
mononuclidic cobalt isotope . Measurable quantities are also produced as a by-product of typical nuclear power plant operation and may be detected externally when leaks occur. In the latter case (in the absence of added cobalt) the incidentally produced is largely the result of multiple stages of neutron activation of
iron isotopes in the reactor's steel structures via the creation of precursor. The simplest case of the latter would result from the activation of . decays by
beta decay to the stable isotope
nickel-60 . The activated nickel nucleus emits two
gamma rays with energies of 1.17 and 1.33
MeV, hence the overall nuclear equation of the reaction is
