Editing Stable nuclide (section)

{{Short description|Nuclide that does not undergo radioactive decay}}
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[[File:Table isotopes en.svg|upright=1.4|thumb|Graph of nuclides (isotopes) by type of decay. Orange and blue nuclides are unstable, with the black squares between these regions representing stable nuclides. The continuous line passing below most of the nuclides comprises the positions on the graph of the (mostly hypothetical) nuclides for which proton number would be the same as neutron number. The graph reflects the fact that elements with more than 20 protons either have more neutrons than protons or are unstable.]]
'''Stable nuclides''' are [[Isotope|isotopes]] of a [[chemical element]] whose [[Nucleon|nucleons]] are in a configuration that does not permit them the surplus energy required to produce a radioactive emission. The [[Atomic nucleus|nuclei]] of such isotopes are not radioactive and unlike [[radionuclide]]s do not spontaneously undergo [[radioactive decay]].<ref>{{cite web |title=DOE explains ... Isotopes |url=https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsisotopes |publisher=Department of Energy, United States |access-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414025223/https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsisotopes |archive-date=14 April 2022}}</ref> When these nuclides are referred to in relation to specific elements they are usually called that element's '''stable isotopes'''.

The 80 elements with one or more stable isotopes comprise a total of 251 nuclides that have not been shown to decay using current equipment. Of these 80 elements, 26 have only one stable isotope and are called [[monoisotopic element|monoisotopic]]. The other 56 have more than one stable isotope. [[Tin]] has ten stable isotopes, the largest number of any element.