Heavy Water

Chemically, there are two types of water- normal water and hard water. Hard water is mainly used in chemistry labs and in inverters. It has different structure and properties from normal water. You would be surprised to know a very interesting fact that heavy water is one of the most important components for nuclear power.

The difference between these two types of water lies in the hydrogen atom. The hydrogen atom of normal water is lighter as compared to the hydrogen of heavy water. To know more about this water- heavy water, keep reading this article.

What is this term, Heavy Water?

Heavy water is completely different from normal water. Heavy water consists of two different types of ions – Deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen and oxygen. Heavy water can be denoted by the term D or 2H. Being known as Deuterium oxide, its chemical formula is D2O. Heavy water is mostly used in chemistry labs, and their properties vary a lot.

Heavy water consists of Deuterium, which is heavier than protium, and that’s why the molar mass of heavy water is more than that of normal water. This is the reason the properties of normal water differ from hard water. 

What are the Types of Heavy Water?

Hard water is classified into three main parts which are given below.

Semi-Heavy water (HDO)

It consists of one protium, one deuterium, and one tritium, and HDO is used as the notation to describe semi-heavy water. That’s why this can be found in both deuterium and protium. If you observe a water sample that contains an equal amount of protium and deuterium, then the sample must contain 50% of HDO, 25% of normal water(H2O), and the composition of heavy water should be 25%. 

If you observe a water sample that contains an equal amount of protium and deuterium, then the sample must contain 50% of HDO, 25% of normal water(H2O), and the composition of heavy water should be 25%. 

Heavy Oxygen water

According to the name, you could understand the core meaning of this term. The water which contains the isotopes of Oxygen, which are heavy, is known as heavy oxygen water. The density of this type of water varies and is more than that of normal water. This is the reason it’s known as heavy oxygen water. 

Tritiated water

This type of water is radioactive and lacks protium. Instead, it consists of tritium. The common name of this type of water is super heavy water, and the formula of this type of water is T2. In order to calculate the total volume of water from a body, tritium comes into play. 

Properties of Heavy Water

Heavy water has many properties which are different from normal water. All of these properties occur because of the change in the molar masses of deuterium and protium. The properties of heavy water are categorised into two parts, which are as follows. 

Physical Properties

In STP condition, heavy water is colourless. While, when tested at room temperature, the existence of this type of water is in the form of an odourless liquid. If you mix heavy water in the normal water, then you will find that it forms a homogeneous type of mixture.

If you observe an ice cube of deuterium water, it will sink in normal water. But, do you know why? The density of H2O is lower than that of D2O by 11%. 

Chemical Properties

Due to different atomic masses of isotopes of hydrogen, it exhibits different chemical properties. The biological systems are inversely affected due to the presence of an excess amount of deuterium in them. If you compare the concentration of H+ if H2O and D+ of D2O, you will find that there is less concentration of D+  ions in it. 

What are the Uses of Heavy water?

Heavy water finds its applications in many fields. One of the most important characteristics of heavy water is to act as a coolant in nuclear reactors. Heavy water plays a very major role in nuclear power. Look out below for more applications of heavy water.

• Deuterium is the key element to help you prepare heavy water.
• To understand and observe the mechanism of photosynthesis and respiration, heavy water comes right into play. 
• In order to observe the nuclear fields around the nucleus of an atom, heavy water is used in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy. 
• You could also prepare the isotopologues of organic compounds with the use of heavy water. 
• This water plays a vital role in the place of normal water in Infrared spectroscopy. 
• To test the rate of metabolism in humans, a mixture of heavy water and heavy oxygen water is mostly used. 
• The most famous use of heavy water is very well known and that’s the nuclear reactors. To lower the speed of neutrons in the moderator of nuclear reactors, heavy water is used a lot. 

Conclusion

Heavy water has lots of different properties from normal water and there are various types of heavy water, which are listed above. Along with that, with the help of this article, you will also get to know about the applications of this water. This water is used in various domains for different purposes.

It’s advisable not to have heavy water for drinking purposes. However, you can consume this in small quantities. If you consume this water in large quantities, then it will affect your health inversely and might damage your digestive system.