deuterium
dooh tee ree uhm
- n an isotope of hydrogen which has one neutron (as opposed to zero neutrons in hydrogen)
- When deuterium atoms get hot enough, they hit each other so hard that they "fuse," forming helium 3 (and a neutron) or tritium (and a proton), and give off energy.
- If the electrons in deuterium are replaced with heavier particles called muons, the deuterium nuclei can approach each other more closely and occasionally fuse on their own.
- When molecules of deuterium iodide were struck by photons in the light beam, they split into fast-moving atoms of deuterium and sluggish, heavier atoms of iodine.