Deuterium
Videos
Deuterium is one of two stable isotopes of hydrogen; the other is protium, or hydrogen-1, 1H. The deuterium nucleus contains one proton and one neutron, whereas the far more common 1H has no neutrons.
Deuterium glowing in a gas discharge tube
Ionized deuterium in a fusor reactor giving off its characteristic pinkish-red glow
Harold Urey, deuterium's discoverer
The "Sausage" device casing of the Ivy Mike H bomb, attached to instrumentation and cryogenic equipment. The 20-ft-tall bomb held a cryogenic Dewar flask with room for 160 kg of liquid deuterium.
Tritium
Videos
Tritium, or hydrogen-3, is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of 12.32 years. The tritium nucleus contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of the common isoto
Deuterium
…At this point, the elemental abundances were nearly fixed, changing only as some of the radioactive products of Big Bang nucleosynthesis (such as tritium) decayed. The deuterium bottleneck in the formation of helium, together with the lack of stable ways for helium to combine with hydrogen or with itself…
Tritium Glowring 320s
Radioluminescent 1.8 curies (67 GBq) 6 by 0.2 inches (152.4 mm × 5.1 mm) tritium vials are thin, tritium-gas-filled glass vials whose inner surfaces are coated with a phosphor. The vial shown here is brand-new.
Swiss Military watch with tritium-illuminated face