What is the difference between protium deuterium and tritium

Protium has no neutrons in its nucleus. It is considered as the most stable isotope of hydrogen. Therefore, when we are normally talking about hydrogen, we are talking about Protium.

The atomic number of Protium is 1 due to the presence of one proton. The mass number of Protium is also 1 since there are no neutrons in the nucleus of Protium. The atomic mass of Protium is about 1.

The symbol for Protium is 1 H. The electron configuration of Protium is 1s 1. Protium can be found in nature as a diatomic gaseous form or as hydrogen in H 2 O molecule. The bond between two atoms in the diatomic molecule has a higher bond dissociation enthalpy. This is mainly because these atoms are minute and they have complete electron configurations in the only orbital s orbital in their diatomic molecule form.

Figure 1: Atomic Structure of Protium. The above image shows the atomic structure of Protium. Here, the proton is shown in the center of the atom nucleus and the electron is shown outside the nucleus in blue color. Deuterium is an isotope of Hydrogen that is composed of one proton, one neutron, and one electron. The nucleus of Deuterium is composed of a proton and a neutron. The symbol for Deuterium is given as 2 H.

The atomic number of Deuterium is 1 and the mass number is 2. The atomic mass can be given as 2. This is also a stable isotope of hydrogen but is less abundant. The current best bet for fusion reactors is deuterium-tritium fuel. This fuel reaches fusion conditions at lower temperatures compared to other elements and releases more energy than other fusion reactions. Deuterium and tritium are isotopes of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe.

Whereas all isotopes of hydrogen have one proton, deuterium also has one neutron and tritium has two neutrons, so their ion masses are heavier than protium, the isotope of hydrogen with no neutrons. When deuterium and tritium fuse, they create a helium nucleus, which has two protons and two neutrons. The reaction releases an energetic neutron. Unlike tritium, deuterium is no radioactive.

It also does not show toxicity. Water usually contains hydrogen-1 combined with oxygen atoms. But there can be hydrogen-2 combined with oxygen, which forms water. It is heavy water. The chemical formula for heavy water is D 2 O where D is deuterium and O is oxygen. Moreover, we can use deuterium and its compounds in chemical experiments. For example, they are useful as non-radioactive labels in experiments such as solvents used in NMR spectroscopy. Moreover, we can use heavy water as a neutron moderator and a coolant for nuclear reactors.

Deuterium is also a fuel for nuclear fission that is carried out in commercial scale. There are three isotopes of hydrogen: protium, deuterium and tritium. Search for:. Isotopes of Hydrogen. Key Points Protium is the most prevalent hydrogen isotope, with an abundance of It consists of one proton and one electron.

It is typically not found in its monoatomic form, but bonded with itself H 2 or other elements. Deuterium is a hydrogen isotope consisting of one proton, one neutron and one electron. It has major applications in nuclear magnetic resonance studies.

Tritium is a hydrogen isotope consisting of one proton, two neutrons and one electron. It is radioactive, with a half-life of Show Sources Boundless vets and curates high-quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet.

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