  The effect of 16O-18O isotope exchange on the electric resistivity was
studied for (La(1-y)Pr(y))0.7Ca0.3MnO3 ceramic samples. Depending on y, this
mixed perovskite exhibited different types of low-temperature behavior ranging
from ferromagnetic metal (FM) to charge ordered (CO) antiferromagnetic
insulator. It was found that at y=0.75, the substitution of 16O by 18O results
in the reversible transition from a FM to a CO insulator at zero magnetic
field. The applied magnetic field (H >= 2 T) transformed the sample with 18O
again to the metallic state and caused the increase in the FM transition
temperature Tc of the 16O sample. As a result, the isotope shift of Tc at H = 2
T was as high as 63 K. Such unique sensitivity of the system to oxygen isotope
exchange, giving rise even to the metal-insulator transition, is discussed in
terms of the isotope dependence of the effective electron bandwidth which
shifts the balance between the CO and FM phases.
