The nucleus of a deuterium atom, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron, whereas the far more common protium has no neutrons in the nucleus.
- DeuteriumOne or more protons are present in the nucleus of every atom.
- ProtonThe nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons.
- AtomThe nuclei of the heavy hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium contain one proton bound to one and two neutrons, respectively.
- ProtonFor example, it requires only 13.6 eV to strip a ground-state electron from a hydrogen atom, compared to 2.23 million eV for splitting a deuterium nucleus.
- Atom7 related topics with Alpha
Neutron
6 linksThe neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or, which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton.
Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms.
The nuclei of the heavy hydrogen isotopes deuterium (D or 2H) and tritium (T or 3H) contain one proton bound to one and two neutrons, respectively.
Hydrogen
4 linksChemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1.
Chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1.
For the most common isotope of hydrogen (symbol 1H) each atom has one proton, one electron, and no neutrons.
, the other stable hydrogen isotope, is known as deuterium and contains one proton and one neutron in the nucleus. All deuterium in the universe is thought to have been produced at the time of the Big Bang, and has endured since that time. Deuterium is not radioactive, and does not represent a significant toxicity hazard. Water enriched in molecules that include deuterium instead of normal hydrogen is called heavy water. Deuterium and its compounds are used as a non-radioactive label in chemical experiments and in solvents for -NMR spectroscopy. Heavy water is used as a neutron moderator and coolant for nuclear reactors. Deuterium is also a potential fuel for commercial nuclear fusion.
Atomic nucleus
3 linksThe atomic nucleus is the small, dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford based on the 1909 Geiger–Marsden gold foil experiment.
For example, between protons and neutrons to form [NP] deuteron, and also between protons and protons, and neutrons and neutrons.
Hydrogen atom
2 linksA hydrogen atom is an atom of the chemical element hydrogen.
The electrically neutral atom contains a single positively charged proton and a single negatively charged electron bound to the nucleus by the Coulomb force.
Deuterium contains one neutron and one proton in its nucleus.
Nuclear force
2 linksThe nuclear force (or nucleon–nucleon interaction, residual strong force, or, historically, strong nuclear force) is a force that acts between the protons and neutrons of atoms.
For fermion particles of different types, such as a proton and neutron, particles may be close to each other and have aligned spins without violating the Pauli exclusion principle, and the nuclear force may bind them (in this case, into a deuteron), since the nuclear force is much stronger for spin-aligned particles.
Electric charge
1 linksPhysical property of matter that causes charged matter to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.
Physical property of matter that causes charged matter to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.
Electric charge can be positive or negative (commonly carried by protons and electrons respectively).
In ordinary matter, negative charge is carried by electrons, and positive charge is carried by the protons in the nuclei of atoms.
This property has been experimentally verified by showing that the charge of one helium nucleus (two protons and two neutrons bound together in a nucleus and moving around at high speeds) is the same as two deuterium nuclei (one proton and one neutron bound together, but moving much more slowly than they would if they were in a helium nucleus).
Muon
2 linksElementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1⁄2, but with a much greater mass.
Elementary particle similar to the electron, with an electric charge of −1 e and a spin of 1⁄2, but with a much greater mass.
They were negatively charged but curved less sharply than electrons, but more sharply than protons, for particles of the same velocity.
The muon was the first elementary particle discovered that does not appear in ordinary atoms.
Therefore this bound muon-electron pair can be treated to a first approximation as a short-lived "atom" that behaves chemically like the isotopes of hydrogen (protium, deuterium and tritium).