What is heavy water and how is it used in relation to making a nuclear bomb.?
Water consists of 2 hydrogen atoms bonded to an oxygen atom. In heavy water either one or both of the hydrogen atoms have been replaced by deuterium. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen, it contains the same number of protons (1) and still has one electron, but it has a neutron. Chemicaly it behaves exactly like hydrogen, but it’s greater atomic weight make it behave differently with nuclear reactions, it is far less likely to absorb another neutron. In a reactor heavy water can be used as it still moderates (slows neutrons) but is far less likely to absorb neutrons, if you use heavy water you can use natural uranium as fuel. With light water which will absorb neutrons you need to use enriched uranium for fuel. Heavy water is not used in H bombs, but the deuterium from heavy water can be used in the fusion stage as it can be used with tritium (H3, hydrogen with 2 neutrons), with enough heat and pressure these two elements will fuse, giving off vast amounts of energy. In most modern nuc
