Abstract
THE intensive research on the new hydrogen isotope, ‘heavy hydrogen’, of mass 2, and on its oxygen compound, ‘heavy water’, some aspects of which have been summarised in NATURE (132, 536, 1933; 133, 197, 881, 1934), has given rise to an extensive literature. It was to be expected, therefore, that a monograph on the subject would be written, and two sucfi have recently appeared. In that of Prof. E. Darmois (“Un Nouveau corps simple: le Deuterium ou Hydrogene Lourd”, Actualites Scientifiques et Industrielles, No. 121. Paris, Hermann et Cie, 1934, pp. 24)to consider them in alphabetical order of authorsa brief account of the course of discovery, the methods of separation, and the properties of heavy hydrogen and heavy water are reviewed, with useful numerical data. There is a short account of the utilisation of the deuterium (heavy hydrogen) nucleus in atomic disintegration, and of the compounds of deuterium apart from the oxide. The monograph of Prof. H. Mark (“Das Schwere Wasser”. Leipzig and Vienna, F. Deuticke, 1934, pp. 32) covers much the same ground, but is rather fuller in some parts than that of Prof. Darmois, and the converse is also true, so that both monographs are necessary in obtaining information on the whole range of the subject up to the date when they were written. Readers of NATURE who desire information on the subject of heavy water will find these monographs very convenient and useful: it is noteworthy that many of the communications listed in the bibliographies have appeared in our columns.
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Heavy Hydrogen. Nature 134, 56 (1934). https://doi.org/10.1038/134056b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/134056b0