Deuteron Mass

Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table, with an atomic number of 1. It is the lightest element known. Henry Cavendish discovered it in 1766. By dissolving iron in dilute HSO, he created the gas. Because it creates water when burned with oxygen, Lavoisier coined the term hydrogen (‘hydro’ means water and ‘gene’ means creating). Hydrogen is significant in the chemical industry because it can be utilised to make a variety of compounds. Hydrogen and its isotopes are discussed in greater detail below.

Around half of the mass of the sun and numerous other stars is made up of hydrogen. The planets Jupiter and Saturn are primarily hydrogen-based. The extremely high temperatures of the sun and stars allow for the nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms, which releases a vast amount of energy.

Hydrogen is found on Earth in a variety of forms, mostly in combination with oxygen in the form of water, in the form of organic matter in plant and animal tissues, carbohydrates, proteins, and other substances in the form of organic matter in plant and animal tissues, carbohydrates, proteins, and other substances in the form of organic matter in plant and animal tissues, carbohydrates, proteins, and other substances Coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas are all examples of minerals that contain hydrogen. 

Deuterium

One of the stable isotopes of hydrogen is heavy hydrogen, often known as deuterium. The Greek word deuterons mean “second,” which is how Deuterium got its name. The nucleus of a hydrogen-deuterium atom, which includes one proton and one neutron, is known as a deuteron. Deuterium is found in abundance in the oceans, with one atom for every 6420 hydrogens. As a result, deuterium makes up roughly 0.025 percent (0.03 percent by mass) of all hydrogens found in natural seawater, whereas protium makes up the other 99.98 percent.

The other stable hydrogen isotope, deuterium, has a nucleus with one proton and one neutron. The universe’s deuterium is thought to have been produced at the Big Bang and has endured since then. Deuterium is non-radioactive and does not offer a significant toxicity risk. Water with deuterium instead of ordinary hydrogen in its molecules is known as heavy water. Heavy water is used as a neutron moderator and coolant in nuclear reactors. Deuterium could be used as a commercial nuclear fusion fuel in the future.

Mass of deuteron 

The deuteron is an atomic particle that contains both a proton and a neutron. Hydrogen-2 is indicated by the letters D. The mass of a deuteron is measured in atomic mass units (amu) or electron volts (eV). The deuteron has a charge of +1e. This is because protons are present.

The mass of deuteron in amu is 2.013553212745(40)u and in MeV is 1875.612928(12)MeV.

Heavy water

When two hydrogen atoms in regular water are replaced by deuterium atoms, heavy water is formed. Chemically, deuterium oxide, or D2O or 2H  is heavy water.

The discovery of heavy water is credited to Urey. One part of heavy water is found in every 6000 parts of ordinary water. Lewis and Donald used continuous electrolysis to extract a few millilitres of pure heavy water from water containing a trace amount of alkali. It was discovered in the Himalayas, among the melted snow leftovers. Miniscule levels have also been found on the leaves of Banyan trees and in rainfall.

Properties of heavy water

Heavy water, like regular water, is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless mobile liquid. The physical properties of water and heavy water are listed below.

• Because heavy water has a higher molecular weight (20 g) than water (18 g), its boiling and freezing points, specific heat, density, viscosity, temperature of maximum density, and latent heat of vaporisation are all higher in heavy water than in water.
• The dielectric constant of heavy water, on the other hand, is smaller than that of water.
• As a result, ionic compounds dissolved in heavy water have a lower solubility than those dissolved in water.

Conclusion

The stability of the deuterium atom was critical during the early stages of the universe’s development. The number of protons and neutrons is considered to be equal in the Big Bang model. The available energy was substantially larger in the beginning, compared to the 0.78 MeV needed to transform an electron and a proton into a neutron. The neutrons were no longer produced by the protons when the temperature fell. The number of neutrons gradually dropped due to neutron decay. The neutrons that produced the deuteron when they joined with the protons did not decay any further. The universe would not exist as we know it if all of the neutrons decayed.