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deuterium

 
Dictionary: deu·te·ri·um   (dū-tîr'ē-əm, dyū-) pronunciation
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n.
An isotope of hydrogen with one proton and one neutron in the nucleus having an atomic weight of 2.014.

[DEUTER(O)- + -IUM.]


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: deuterium
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Isotope of hydrogen, chemical symbol 2H or D, atomic number 1 (but atomic weight approximately 2). Harold C. Urey won a Nobel Prize for its discovery and isolation. Its nucleus contains one proton and one neutron. A stable substance found in naturally occurring hydrogen compounds to the extent of about 0.015%, deuterium can be purified by distillation of hydrogen or by electrolysis of water. It enters into all the same chemical reactions as ordinary hydrogen; it forms D2 and HD, analogous to molecular hydrogen (H2), and D2O (heavy water), analogous to ordinary water (H2O). Nuclear fusion of deuterium atoms or of deuterium and tritium at high temperatures releases enormous amounts of energy. Such reactions have been used in nuclear weapons and experimental power reactors. Deuterium is useful as a tracer in research into reaction mechanisms and biochemical pathways.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: deuterium
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deuterium (dūtēr'ēəm), isotope of hydrogen with mass no. 2. The deuterium nucleus, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron. Deuterium is also called heavy hydrogen, and water in which the hydrogen atoms are deuterium is called heavy water (deuterium oxide, D2O). Deuterons are sometimes used in particle accelerators, and heavy water is used in "swimming pool" nuclear reactors as a moderator.

Veterinary Dictionary: deuterium
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The mass 2 isotope of hydrogen, symbol 2H or D; it is available as a gas or heavy water and is used as a tracer or indicator in studying metabolism.

WordNet: deuterium
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: an isotope of hydrogen which has one neutron (as opposed to zero neutrons in hydrogen)
  Synonym: heavy hydrogen

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more