What is heavy water?

Heavy water is a form of water that contains more deuterium( an isotope of hydrogen) than normal water. Chemical name of heavy water  is deuterium di oxide (D₂O). Deuterium is symbolised as D or ²H . All water has some traces of heavy water.

Properties

• Boiling point:     101.4⁰C   
• Freezing point:   3.82⁰C
• Density:               1.1056 g/s.cm  
• PH :                       7.43

**  all are Slightly higher than light water**

Effects on living beings

• Affects cell metabolism as deuterium dioxide bond is stronger than hydrogen bond 
• Stops eukaryotic cell division
• Reduces the plant growth (more than 50% of D₂O )
• Bacteria can live in heavy water upto 98% D₂O
• more than 20 % D₂O will adversely affect the human health