What is 'hard water and why is it so important in nuclear bombs?

Answer 1

Well, you couldn't have soft water could you , it's a bit poofy!!!

Answer 2

Hard water is high in calcium and/or magnesium. It is hard to form soap bubbles with "hard" water, hence the name. This has nothing to do with nuclear energy.

Heavy water, on the other hand, is deuterium oxide. Deuterium is the heavier isotope of hydrogen. Instead of containing just one proton for each atom, it contains the proton and a neutron. It is not radioactive, but will moderate (slow down) free neutrons so they intercept with fissionable atoms better. This makes it wonderful to have around a nuclear reactor. Deuterium, as an isotope of hydrogen can be separated by electrolysis. Deuterium can be used in fusion reactions, as can be tritum, the heaviest isotope of hydrogen. This is the basis of the "hydrogen" bomb. Having heavy water around does not mean it is being used to develop a hydrogen bomb. The uses in the nuclear industry are many and varied.

Answer 3

Like just about everyone before has said it is heavy water. But what they don't understand is that the water isn't physically put in the bomb. It is used in nuclear reactors for its neutroinic properties. Deuterium does not absorb neutrons but hydrogen does. This makes heavy water, which is basically water with deuterium instead of hydrogen, better for certain types of reactors. For instance if you want to build a reactor with natural Uranium (not enriched) then you have have to use heavy water instead of regular water. The production of heavy water would allow Iraq to build nuclear reactors with out enrichment plants. They could then extract plutonium from those reactors and use plutonium in a bomb.

Answer 4

I think hard water is water with a high lime stone content but don't know why it's important for nuclear bombs. Hope this is just a theoretical and not practical query!

Answer 5

I think that question is a little messed up. You mean "heavy water" not "hard water" hard water is water that has a lot of minerals dissolved in it. Heavy water is water where the hydrogen atoms in the H2O are an unusual form of hydrogen called deuterium or tritium,

You should be able to find plenty about how this works if you do an internet search on heavy water, or deuterium.

Answer 6

I think you're getting hard water mixedup with heavy water.
Hard water is water with lots of dissolved minerals in it. It's these minerals that make your iron and kettle get "furry" as the water evaporates and deposits the dissolved minerals as a white-grey coating.
Heavy water is water formed by deuterium rather than hydrogen, making it D2O. Deuterium is a hydrogen atom with an added proton, making the atom twice as heavy. It can be used in the manufacture of Plutonium for fission bombs. During WW2, the Nazis were trying to use it, in occupied Norway, in an attempt to generate Plutonium. Fortunately it was sabotaged.

Answer 7

its not important , the current nuclear bombs are fission bombs ie those that split Uranium and Plutonium.

Fusion bombs or H bombs like those dropped on Hiroshima etc.. are different to theose currently in vogue as they are not as powerful.

the D2O and T2O are important as the Tritium and Deuterium are more stable in this format and they ultimately provide the unstable hydrogen nuclei that are fused together to produce Helium and a f*ck of a lot of engergy in an chain reaction in accordance with the famous formula E=Mc2

Answer 8

It's heavy water that's important in some nuclear reactions. An isotope also known as deuterium.
Hard water just has impurities that furr up water pises and kettles

Answer 9

It's heavy water not hard water. Heavy water is a loose term which usually refers to deuterium oxide, D2O or 2H2O. Its physical and chemical properties are somewhat similar to those of light water, H2O. The hydrogen atoms are of the heavy isotope deuterium, in which the nucleus contains a neutron in addition to the proton found in the nucleus of the hydrogen atom. This isotopic substitution alters the bond energy of the hydrogen-oxygen bond in water, altering the physical, chemical, and especially biological properties of the substance to a larger degree than is found in most isotope-substituted chemical compounds.

Heavy water should not be confused with hard water or with tritiated water; however heavy water can be used to create tritium, a principal source of energy release in a thermonuclear weapon.

Answer 10

is it 2H2O more Hydrogen? Was important in the old type Hydrogen bombs but not in the new Nuclear bombs

Answer 11

Hard water is water that has minirals and imperties in it, such as silt from piping and so forth.

Heavy water, which is importnemt in Chem, is water which has three Hydrogen atoms to one Oxagen aton in the chemical bomb. This creates an extra bond and results in more energy and reaction ablity in the water.