Deuterium is a stable isotope of hydrogen, represented by the symbol \( \text{D} \) or \( ^2\text{H} \). It contains one proton and one neutron in its nucleus, giving it a mass number of 2, compared to the more common hydrogen isotope, protium, which has no neutrons. Deuterium occurs naturally in small amounts in water, comprising about 0.0156% of all hydrogen in the ocean.
Articles by others on the same topic
This stable hydrogen isotope has one proton and one neutron. In the Proton–proton chain it is produced by the slow weak proton-pair reaction and is rapidly consumed by proton capture to make helium-3. Its short nuclear lifetime inside a stellar core allows a deuterium quasi-equilibrium in proton-proton burning approximation.
Applications:
- because it has an even number of nucleons it is transparent to NMR, and therefore is useful in solvents for NMR spectroscopy