why duterium is called as heavy water?
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Answer:
Because of the additional particle, deuterium is “heavier” than normal hydrogen. Water is composed of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom. Heavy water, also called deuterium oxide, is composed of two deuterium atoms and an oxygen atom.
Heavy water is a form of water with a unique atomic structure and properties coveted for the production of nuclear power and weapons. Like ordinary water—H20—each molecule of heavy water contains two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. The difference, though, lies in the hydrogen atoms. In ordinary water, each hydrogen atom has just a single proton in its nucleus. In heavy water, each hydrogen atom is indeed heavier, with a neutron as well as a proton in its nucleus. This isotope of hydrogen is called deuterium, and heavy water’s more scientific name is deuterium oxide, abbreviated as D20.