tritium

[trit-ee-uhm, trish-, trish-uhm]

noun

Chemistry.

1. an isotope of hydrogen having an atomic weight of three. 3 H, T

tritium

/ ˈtrɪtɪəm /

noun

1. a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, occurring in trace amounts in natural hydrogen and produced in a nuclear reactor. Tritiated compounds are used as tracers. Symbol: T or ³H; half-life: 12.5 years

tritium

1. A radioactive isotope of hydrogen whose nucleus has one proton and two neutrons with atomic mass of about 3 and a half life of 12.5 years. Tritium is rare in nature but can be made artificially in nuclear reactions. It is used in thermonuclear weapons and luminescent paints, and sometimes as a tracer.

2. See more at hydrogen

Word History and Origins

Origin of tritium¹

1930–35; < New Latin < Greek trít ( os ) third ( tri- tri- + -tos adj. suffix) + New Latin -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of tritium¹

C20: New Latin, from Greek tritos third

Example Sentences

The files said one incident, in August 2019, resulted in the release of "unnecessary radioactive waste" in the form of low levels of tritium, which is used in nuclear warheads.

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These coolants are essential in fusion reactors to extract heat and breed tritium, but their corrosive nature threatens the integrity of the structural materials used.

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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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Records show that from the 1940s through the 1960s, it was not uncommon for local hospitals, labs and other industrial operations to dispose barrels of tritium, carbon-14 and other similar waste at sea.

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