does heavy water (2-H2O) taste different from regular water?
is it safe to drink heavy water?
2007-06-03 10:14:34 · 2 answers · asked by Rosy 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Taste the same (except that is free of all minerals, and therefore less tasty)
Not safe, in principle. The heavy water will slow down many processes in you body, and shift balances in a way that can kill you. However, yoy need to drink very much, much more than you can ever expect to get into your body by accident, to see any effect. As far as I know, noone has ever been poisoned by heavy water.
2007-06-03 10:18:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I do not know trhe taste of heavy water. It is definitely not safe to drink heavy water, which could indeed be poisonous. This is because relationships all over the body depend on hydrogen bonding. If one suddenly substitutes deuterium bonding, the result could be fatal.
The situation is the same as arsenic. The body uses phosphate, PO4 3- for all kinds of messenger functions. Feed the person AsO4 3-, and there is a murder mystery.
2007-06-03 10:23:32 · answer #2 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋