what is deuteriums atomic number?
Deuterium, also called heavy hydrogen, is a stable isotope of hydrogen with a natural abundance in the oceans of Earth of approximately one atom in 6500 of hydrogen (~154 PPM). Deuterium thus accounts for approximately 0.015% (on a weight basis 0.030%) of all naturally occurring hydrogen (see VSMOW; the abundance changes slightly from one kind of natural water to another). The nucleus of deuterium, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron, whereas the far more common hydrogen nucleus consists only of a proton and no neutrons. The isotope name is formed from the Greek deuteros meaning “2”, to denote the two particles comprising the nucleus. As an isotope of hydrogen, the accepted chemical symbol for deuterium is 2H. Despite this, the unofficial chemical element?like symbol?D?has been adopted by many. The significant difference in relative atomic weight compared with pure protium (1H) may well be the reason for this; Deuterium’s atomic weight is 2.014 u, compared to the mea