Would drinking pure deuterium cause bodily harm?

Question

Just curious after watching Nova: Hitler's Sunken Secret on PBS.

Answer 1

Deuterium is an isotope of hidrogen. Basically the same way, just its molar mass is twice the hidrogens (app.), because as you might know Hidrogen has a nucleus of one proton, while Deuterium of a proton and a neutron. Both of them form molecules of two(gas) D2 and H2. down to a pretty low temperature they are gaseous, less than -200 grades celsius, so you can have an idea what it would do to the tissues.
And as interesting issues: liquid oxigen is a bit higher temperature and is having worse effects on tissues then any nasty acid would do: drinking it would couse almost instant death: all breathing system would be just burnt away literally.
By the way deuterium is used for special parts of a molecule and by this is important in structure analysis, and D2O is heavy water, used in radioactive technical stuff...
I dont think anyone tried killing people with the mentioned method... deuterium is quite a costly thing, and making it liquid... well... not the easiest technical problems.

Answer 2

Deuterium is a gas. Ingested deuterium oxide, heavy water, will do the isotope effect on all biochemistry.

Ingesting about a hundred milliliters (medical measurement of bodily aqueous compartment by dilution) can make you grievously seasick from density gradients set up in your middle ear. More than 500 mls is overtly toxic by kinetically shutting down metabolism at the molecular level.

Answer 3

Well, you cannot drink pure deuterium (that will be pure heavy hydrogen). I think you meant heavy water (deuterium oxide). Yes, drinking that is definitely harmful for humans and other animals.

Answer 4

If you could drink it- deuterium (hydrogen with a neutron) is normally a gas at STP, and I am pretty sure that at liquid temperature, it would freeze your lungs and kill you.

Answer 5

The stuff they found in that Nocva show would! It had a ph of 14. That would be similar to drinking drain cleaner.

Answer 6

Drinking pure liquid D2 would freeze your tissues and cause great harm leading to possible death. Its boiling point is -249.6 °C.

http://encyclopedia.airliquide.com/Encyclopedia.asp?GasID=20

Answer 7

yes it will cause body harm.

Answer 8

rinking anything u can not pronounce is not a good idea.