"heavy water" and "light water"

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SimonFa

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I'm reading Secret Flotillas* and it refers to shipping heavy and light water in rough conditions. I've searched the web but can't find any definitions, anybody got a explanation, please?

*Thanks to the person who recommended it in one of the threads on here. Its an excellent book, a bit breathless at times and its hard to keep up with all the people and unfamiliar place names but enjoyable none the less.
 
SimonFa said:
I'm reading Secret Flotillas* and it refers to shipping heavy and light water in rough conditions. I've searched the web but can't find any definitions, anybody got a explanation, please?

*Thanks to the person who recommended it in one of the threads on here. Its an excellent book, a bit breathless at times and its hard to keep up with all the people and unfamiliar place names but enjoyable none the less.
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Have a read here, https://www.damninteresting.com/heavy-water-and-the-norwegians/

Brian
 
SimonFa said:
......and it refers to shipping heavy and light water in rough conditions. I've searched the web but can't find any definitions, anybody got a explanation, please?
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This is puzzling, for a Google search - ( term 'heavy water' ) - immediately or sooner produces rather a lot of references, including a straightforward infobox on the RHS of the list.

https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#safe=off&q=heavy+water

As every Brendan knows, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, so if I can find that 'pdq', what is the OP doing? And what is he planning to build with a supply of deuterium oxide?
 
SimonFa said:
I'm reading Secret Flotillas* and it refers to shipping heavy and light water in rough conditions. I've searched the web but can't find any definitions, anybody got a explanation, please?
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My guess is that "heavy water" means solid lumps of sea while "light water" means spray.
 
Off the top of my head: "light water" is what we drink. Light water is normally comprised of a large proportion of normal H20, and smaller proportions of heavier isotopes of hydrogen, giving heavy water and even heavier water. Heavier isotopes of Hydrogen such as deuterium and tritium are chemically identical to light water, but each hydrogen atom contains more neutrons, making them heavier. The heavy isotopes of hydrogen contain neutrons, which don't alter the chemistry, but do make them heavier. You can quite happily drink and eat food containing deuterium etc. with no ill effects, except you'll be heavier.
 
elton said:
Heavier isotopes of Hydrogen such as deuterium and tritium are chemically identical to light water, but each hydrogen atom contains more neutrons, making them heavier. The heavy isotopes of hydrogen contain neutrons, which don't alter the chemistry, but do make them heavier. You can quite happily drink and eat food containing deuterium etc. with no ill effects, except you'll be heavier.
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Although in general isotopes are chemically identical for all practical purposes, deuterium is significantly different from protium (1H), because the atomic weights differ so much. Heavy water would probably - based on animal experiments - cause sterility in humans at 50% concentration and kill at 90%, but because we are mostly water it would be impractical to reach those levels. As you say, drinking a bit of heavy water is fine and it is used in some medical treatments.
 
Heavy water is the full bucket taken from the tap, carried through the marina car-park, down the ramp, along the seven sections of pontoons, over the guard rails and spilled into the cabin as you trip over the dog in the cockpit and soak SWMBO.

Light water is the stuff that comes out of the hose, connected to the pontoon tap, which was turned-on at the main shut-off valve by the marina manager just after you needed it.
 
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