Jasmine Grover Content Strategy Manager
Content Strategy Manager
Key Terms: Tritium, Protium, Deuterium, Nuclear Fission, Hydrogen, Radioactive Isotope, Neutrons, Cosmic Rays
What is Tritium?
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Tritium, also known as a triton, has one proton and two neutrons that make up its nucleus, which has three times the mass of the nucleus of regular hydrogen. In contrast, the nuclei of the common isotopes hydrogen-1 (protium) and hydrogen-2 (deuterium) each contain just one proton. Tritium is a radioactive species with a half-life of 12.32 years. It is abundant in natural water, 10-18 times more so than natural hydrogen.
Tritium
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History of Tritium
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In 1934, Ernest Rutherford, Mark Oliphant, and Paul Harteck discovered tritium by irradiating deuterium with deuterons. Deuterium is yet another hydrogen isotope. However, they were unable to isolate tritium; Luis Alvarez and Robert Cornog eventually succeeded in doing so, along with the discovery of tritium's radioactivity. Willard F. Libby suggested using tritium to radiometrically date water and wine.
Read More: Radioactive Decay
Formation of Tritium
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The formation of Tritium can be explained as follows:
- Boron
- Lithium
- Nuclear Fission
One tritium atom is produced per 10,000 nuclear fissions of uranium-235, plutonium-239, and uranium-233. Tritium is a rare by-product. The release or recovery of tritium must be taken into account during the operation of nuclear reactors, particularly during the reprocessing of nuclear fuels and the storage of spent nuclear fuel. Production of tritium is a by-product rather than the intended outcome. Small amounts of it are released into the atmosphere by some nuclear power reactors.
Isotopes of Hydrogen
Properties of Tritium
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- In every atomic nucleus, protons are the only particles with an electrical charge. They repel one another as a result because like charges repel one another.
- A highly flexible element, tritium is similar to hydrogen. The water cycle allows it to enter the human body with ease since it can combine with oxygen to create tritiated water. Even though tritium is efficiently removed from the body once it is within. It can induce internal exposure. While it has a radioactive half-life of 12.3 years, its biological half-life is only 10 days.
- Like the other hydrogen isotopes, tritium is challenging to contain. Some forms of steel, rubber, and plastic are all porous materials. This has raised concerns that despite the fact that using large amounts of tritium should prevent significant long-term buildup in the atmosphere, particularly for fusion reactors, doing so could result in radioactive pollution.
- Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is extremely heavy. It is a thin, colourless, odourless, radioactive, flammable gas. In truth, tritium can be utilised as fusion fuel when combined with liquid deuterium, but this is challenging since tritium decays too quickly for long-term storage.
Uses of Tritium
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The major uses of Tritium are as follows:
- The use of tritium in glow-in-the-dark lights and signs is one of its more widespread applications. To produce light, phosphor and tritium gas are mixed. The light source is perfect for exit signs, emergency lighting in commercial buildings and aeroplanes, and airport runway lights because it doesn't require energy or electrical equipment.
- Additionally, tritium is employed as a tracer in biological and scholarly studies. Despite Canada's commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, some nations employ tritium as fuel for thermonuclear weapons. Future fusion reactors that are currently being developed may also employ tritium to produce electricity.
- The extensive atmospheric nuclear weapons testing that took place before the Partial Test Ban Treaty was ratified was unexpectedly helpful to oceanographers. The large levels of tritium oxide discharged into the ocean's upper layers have been used to gauge how quickly the upper and lower sea layers mix.
- Because it can be created by ternary fission operations in reactor core nuclear fuel, which are rather infrequent, tritium can be found in the radioactive waste generated by reprocessing facilities and military locations.
Tritium Watches
Tritium in Water for Drinking
Tritium is most frequently found in tritiated water (HTO). In order to create HTO, a tritium atom must swap places with a hydrogen atom in water (H2O). HTO is colourless, odourless, and shares the same chemical characteristics as water. Extremely low amounts of tritium are found in the environment naturally.
Impacts on Health
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Tritium is a comparatively weak source of beta radiation. The beta particle doesn't have enough energy to break through the skin on its own. However, it can be harmful if ingested directly into the body in very high doses. By inhaling tritium-containing air or drinking tritiated water, tritium molecules can enter the body. Like ordinary water, tritiated water can be absorbed via the skin. The majority of tritium leaves the body as tritiated water in urine, sweat, and breath moisture. The majority of tritiated hydrogen gas inhaled is expelled right away.
The human body's biological half-life of tritiated water, a sign of bodily water turnover, exhibits seasonal changes. In a coastal region of Karnataka, India, studies on the biological half-life related to radiation workers for free water tritium have revealed that the winter biological half-life is two times longer than the summer biological half-life.
Read More: Important Questions On Hydrogen
Things to Remember
- Tritium can be defined as a radioactive isotope of hydrogen which is very rare.
- Tritium is symbolized by T or 3H. It is often known as hydrogen-3 and triton.
- Tritium has one proton and two neutrons in its nucleus, as in com[parison to the common isotope hydrogen-1 (protium) which has only one proton and hydrogen-2 (deuterium), which has one proton and one neutron.
- Tritium can be produced with the help of Boron, Lithium, Nuclear Fission, and Deuterium.
- Tritium is often used to indicate hydrogen in biology, and thus, it is used in metabolic research. Tritium has replaced radium in the production of luminous dials for watches and navigational devices.
Important PYQs Based On Tritium
- The Approximate Mass Of Tritium Oxide Molecule Is
- The Nuclei Of Tritium H 3 Atom Would Contain Neutr
- Tritium Is A Radioactive Isotope Of Hydrogen It Em
- There Are Two Radioactive Substances A And B Decay
- The Percentage Of Radioactive Substance Left After
- The Noble Gas Which Is Radioactive Is
- A Radioactive Nuclide Decays At Such A Rate That A
- Radioactive Decay Series Of Uranium Is Denoted As
- The Half Life Period Of Radioactive Element Is 140
- To What Radioactive Family Does P B 207 Belongs
- If 25 Of A Radioactive Element Is Left After 40 Da
- A Radioactive Isotope Has A Half Life Of 10 Days I
- An Artificial Radioactive Isotope Gave 14 7 N Afte
- In Haber Process 30 L Of Dihydrogen And 30 L Of Di [NEET 2003]
- The Metal That Products H 2 With Both Dil Hcl And
- The Pressure O F A 1 4 Mixture Of Dihydrogen And D
- The Nuclei Of Tritium H 3 Atom Would Contain Neutr
- Phosphorus Cannot Form Ph 5 With Its Outer Electro
Sample Questions
Ques. Describe Tritium. (3 Marks)
Ans. Tritium is a radioactive variation of hydrogen. When cosmic rays hit atmospheric gases in the upper atmosphere, tritium is naturally formed. Tritium is found extremely rarely on Earth. It is a byproduct of regular nuclear reactor operations and can also be created artificially by irradiating lithium metal or lithium-bearing ceramic pebbles in a nuclear reactor.
Ques. What environmental changes does tritium undergo? (3 Marks)
Ans. The element tritium is not stable. Tritium breaks down into helium while producing a beta particle. The safety of tritium and all other radioactive compounds is questioned due to the radiation released during this decay process. Tritium emits radiation in the form of very low-energy beta particles as it decays. As a result, the particles cannot penetrate the skin's surface.
Ques. How does the body absorb tritium? (3 Marks)
Ans. The majority of the tritium in the environment is present as tritiated water, which is spread in the atmosphere, streams, lakes, and seas. Tritium can enter the body as a gas or a liquid through eating, inhalation, and absorption through the skin from the environment. Tritium tends to spread out quickly after it is ingested, distributing itself evenly throughout the body.
Ques. Is tritium exposure detectable by a medical test? (2 Marks)
Ans. Tritium levels are determined by taking a urine sample and testing it for tritium because they are spread throughout the body after a few hours of intake.
Ques. In every atomic nucleus, protons are the only particles with an electrical charge. Explain why. (3 Marks)
Ans. It is because of the Coulomb force which prevents electrically charged particles from coming close to one another, but if the temperature and pressure are high enough, such as at the Sun's core, the strong nuclear force can act to draw the particles together, fusing them into heavier atoms. Ques. What is the rate of tritium decay? (3 Marks)
Ans. Tritium has a half-life of 12.3 years and decays by the emission of beta particles. Tritium decays into helium-3 and a beta particle in the beta decay, which produces an energy release of 18 keV. The hydrogen turns into helium as the neutron transforms into a proton. This is an illustration of an element naturally changing into another.
Ques. Specify the functions of tritium. (3 Marks)
Ans. Tritium can be used for a variety of purposes, such as self-powered illumination, and nuclear fusion, as a tracer for biological and environmental research, as a radioactive label in chemistry lab work, and for self-powered lighting.
Ques. Why is tritium illegal? (3 Marks)
Ans. The reason is that tritium does not produce light; rather, it activates phosphors, which do. Due to U.S. laws on radioactive chemicals, all of the aforementioned items may be sold legally because their manufacturers must obtain particular authorization before adding tritium to their goods.
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