Deuterium

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/deuterium

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who discovered Deuterium?1931
2. What is the scientific name?Hydrogen-2
3. What is the discoverer?Harold Urey
4. Why is deuterium heavier than ordinary hydrogen?Because it has an extra neutron in its nucleus, which adds mass.
5. How was deuterium first found?Harold Urey discovered it in 1931 by separating it from water to make heavy water.

Isotope: Atoms of the same element with varying numbers of neutrons, leading to different atomic masses.
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis: The process by which light atomic nuclei (like Deuterium) were formed in the early universe.
Neutron Moderator: A material used in nuclear reactors to decrease the kinetic energy of fast neutrons, making them more likely to cause fission.
Isotopic Tracer: An atom or molecule labeled with an isotope to track its pathway or fate in a system.