heavy hydrogen
1
7.0
- noun
- /ˈhɛvi ˈhaɪdrədʒən/
- Specialized
:
hidrógeno pesado
- In a typical search experiment, the researchers look for very heavy hydrogen in water—that is, they look for Lambda 2 O.
- heavy hydrogen (deuterium)
Examples
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In 1934, Urey was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his discovery of heavy hydrogen."
Academic text (2012) -
Deuterium, also called heavy hydrogen, is a form of hydrogen that has a neutron, in addition to a proton, in its nucleus.
Academic text (1992) -
Atoms in normal like or sea water is actually a heavy hydrogen or a deuterium atom.
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That's where the deuteron, the heavy hydrogen nucleus, comes to the rescue.
Academic text (2001) -
Urey was convinced of the likely existence of a heavy hydrogen isotope, and he drew constant inspiration from a chart that he had made of the known isotopes and posted on his office wall.
Academic text (2012) -
Deuterium, commonly known as heavy hydrogen, is used in nuclear fusion reactions because of its unique properties.
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In ocean water, heavy hydrogen, or deuterium, is present in small quantities, making it a subject of study in environmental research.
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Scientists often refer to deuterium as heavy hydrogen due to its nucleus containing one neutron, unlike regular hydrogen.
Synonyms
14
7.4
A form of hydrogen with one neutron in the center of its atom used in nuclear reactors and research
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning (a heavier form of the element hydrogen, i.e. deuterium) is directly derivable from combining 'heavy' (of greater mass) with 'hydrogen' (the element): it is a literal adjective + noun description. Although the specific technical name 'deuterium' may be unknown, the concept is compositional and cross-linguistically expressed similarly, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Heavy hydrogen comes from the simple idea that this form of hydrogen is heavier than normal hydrogen because it has one extra particle inside its atom called a neutron. So the word heavy shows it is the same element but 'heavier', and today heavy hydrogen means this heavier kind of hydrogen used in science.