DEUTERIUM OXIDE Meaning and
Definition
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Deuterium oxide, also commonly known as heavy water, is a form of water with an increased concentration of the hydrogen isotope deuterium. It is chemically represented as D2O, indicating the presence of deuterium atoms instead of ordinary hydrogen atoms.
The properties of deuterium oxide differ from those of regular water due to the differences in isotopes. Deuterium is twice as heavy as hydrogen, resulting in increased density and boiling point for heavy water. This means that deuterium oxide will remain in the liquid state at higher temperatures compared to regular water.
Deuterium oxide has various applications in different fields. In nuclear power production, it acts as a moderator in nuclear reactors to slow down neutrons, optimizing the fission process. It is also utilized in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments as a solvent. Additionally, heavy water is used in certain biochemical and biomedical studies, as its isotopic composition affects the behavior of certain molecules within living organisms.
While deuterium oxide is not considered harmful in small amounts, ingestion of large quantities can have toxic effects on living organisms. It interferes with biological processes dependent on regular water and can cause cell disruption or even death. Consequently, deuterium oxide is often used as a tracer or marker in physiological and biological research.
In summary, deuterium oxide is a specialized form of water with an increased concentration of deuterium isotopes. It possesses unique properties due to this isotopic composition and finds applications in various scientific and industrial fields.
Common Misspellings for DEUTERIUM OXIDE
- seuterium oxide
- xeuterium oxide
- ceuterium oxide
- feuterium oxide
- reuterium oxide
- eeuterium oxide
- dwuterium oxide
- dsuterium oxide
- dduterium oxide
- druterium oxide
- d4uterium oxide
- d3uterium oxide
- deyterium oxide
- dehterium oxide
- dejterium oxide
- deiterium oxide
- de8terium oxide
- de7terium oxide
- deurerium oxide
Etymology of DEUTERIUM OXIDE
The term "deuterium oxide" is a scientific name that gives information about the composition of the compound.
The word "deuterium" is derived from the Greek word "deuteros" (δεύτερος), meaning "second". It refers to an isotope of hydrogen, which contains a neutron in addition to the usual proton. Deuterium was discovered in 1931 by Harold C. Urey, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for his work on isotopes, including deuterium.
The term "oxide" is derived from the Greek word "oxys" (ὀξύς), meaning "sour" or "sharp". In chemistry, an oxide is a compound composed of oxygen and another element.
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