2007-07-12 09:19:56 · 6 answers · asked by Mr. Classic 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
It is water which contains deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. Each molecule of water consists of an atom of oxygen and two atoms of hydrogen. All water has some small percentage of the molecules containing deuterium and tritium, but at very low levels. But heavy water is enriched for deuterium. The difference between normal hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium is the number of neutrons in the nucleus. Normal hydrogen has none, deuterium has 1, and tritium has 2. This makes an atom of deuterium or tritium heavier than an atom of normal hydrogen, thus heavy water is heavier than normal water. That's why they call it heavy water.
2007-07-12 09:23:25 · answer #1 · answered by hawkofalltrades 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It has a higher concentration of the deuterium isotope, which makes the water more dense, thereby slowing neutrons which allows them to interact with the radioactive material. As the fission process occurs, extra neutrons are released in the reaction. Normally these are moving too fast to interact, but once slowed (by the heavy water) they can move onto react with additional plutonium, etc atoms and allow them to split as well which keeps the fission process going.
2007-07-12 16:35:58 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Heavy water is often used in reactors that use a natural mix of uranium isotopes (i.e., non-enriched). It circulates among the fuel rods and does 2 things:
1. slows down the neutrons so that they can interact with the uranium atoms (each interaction releases 2 new fast neutrons).
2. Takes away the heat from the core and dumps it into a separate circuit of normal water, turning it into steam to drive turbines (which then turn generators and produce electricity).
2007-07-12 16:57:59 · answer #3 · answered by Raymond 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Heavy water is a constituent of normal H2O.
However, a molecule of Heavy Water consists of 1 atom of Oxygen to 2 atoms of 'Deuterium' (Heavy Hydrogen).
Each Deuterium atom has a Neutron in its nucleus (Atomic mass = 2) and normal hydrogen does not.
(Atomic mass = 1).
Therefore, 2 atoms of Deuterium (2 Protons, 2 Neutrons and 2 Electrons) are required to form Helium, Atomic mass = 4, in the fusion reaction.
2007-07-12 16:38:17 · answer #4 · answered by Norrie 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's H2O all the same, except there's an extra neutron on the hydrogen. If you drank nothing by heavy water, it'll kill you dead :)
2007-07-12 16:31:42 · answer #5 · answered by geekchick314 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It water but it has a high percentage of the deuterium isotope of hydrogen in place of normal hydrogen
2007-07-12 16:24:16 · answer #6 · answered by l z 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋