1.1 KiB
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Nuclear Concept | Heavy water (deuterium oxide, D2O) is a form of water that contains a higher than normal concentration of the isotope deuterium, rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope. | Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel |
Heavy water (deuterium oxide, D2O) is a form of water that contains a higher than normal concentration of the isotope deuterium, rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope. It is used in certain types of nuclear reactors, known as heavy-water reactors, as a neutron moderator to slow down neutrons and increase the probability of nuclear fission.1
By 1953, Israeli researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science had pioneered a new process for creating heavy water. This development was crucial for Israel's nuclear ambitions, as David Ben-Gurion had repeatedly stated that Israel would build its own atomic reactor utilizing locally manufactured heavy water.1
Footnotes
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Hersh, Seymour M. The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2. ↩︎