Heavy water is naturally present in ordinary water, so it's more accurate tospeak of 'isolating' rather than 'making' it. Separating out significantquantities, though, is no easy trick because heavy water constitutes only onepart in 4,500. Gilbert Lewis isolated the first samples in 1933 usingelectrolysis—sending an electric current through water to separate itinto its elements. His technique relied on the fact that H20 breaksapart more readily than D20, and the residual water left afterelectrolysis is relatively rich in D20. By reprocessing the residualwater over and over again, he could eventually purify heavy water. With his labequipment, however, Lewis's process was time-consuming and expensive.
Norsk Hydro, which already used electrolytic cells in the early 1930s to makefertilizer, seized the chance to make heavy water on an industrial scale. By1935, the Norwegian company was shipping heavy water to scientists throughoutEurope who wanted it for physics, chemistry, and biomedical research. Today,heavy water is isolated in a variety of ways, including a distillation methodakin to making brandy from wine. Other methods exploit the different affinitiesthat deuterium and hydrogen have for various compounds.
MMOHuts goes on the road to bring you the earliest looks at upcoming games and game updates straight from the developers. Whether it be at dev studios or PAX, you'll get the biggest online gaming news right here! Colt takes a first look at Deuterium Wars, a 2D multiplayer arcade shooter now in Early Access!