deuterium

[doo-teer-ee-uhm, dyoo-]

noun

Chemistry.

1. an isotope of hydrogen, having twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen; heavy hydrogen. 2 H, D; 2.01; 1.

deuterium

/ djuːˈtɪərɪəm /

noun

1. a stable isotope of hydrogen, occurring in natural hydrogen (156 parts per million) and in heavy water: used as a tracer in chemistry and biology. Symbol: D or ²H; atomic no: 1; atomic wt: 2.014; boiling pt: –249.7°C

deuterium

1. An isotope of hydrogen whose nucleus has one proton and one neutron and whose atomic mass is 2. Deuterium is used widely as a tracer for analyzing chemical reactions, and it combines with oxygen to form heavy water.

2. Also called heavy hydrogen

3. See Note at heavy water

Word History and Origins

Origin of deuterium¹

1933; < Greek deúter ( os ) second ( deutero- ) + -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of deuterium¹

C20: New Latin; see _deutero- , _-ium ; from the fact that it is the second heaviest hydrogen isotope

Example Sentences

The proposed approach would still use deuterium and tritium, which are generally accepted as the most promising pair of fuels for fusion energy production.

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Researchers, working on nuclear fusion, are fusing tritium and deuterium together to maximize the amount of energy created in one small area.

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Some hydrogen atoms, called deuterium, are a little heavier, while others, usually just known as hydrogen, are a little lighter.

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They also used heavy water, a form of water where the hydrogen atoms are replaced by deuterium, which gives the water a higher freezing point, and helps create the smooth structure.

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One limitation is that JT-60SA will only use hydrogen and its isotope deuterium in its experiments, not tritium—a third form of hydrogen that is expensive, scarce, and radioactive.

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