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10. Payment - ready to pay for your Tritium, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox isotope|background = #ffcccc|text_color = |isotope_name = Hydrogen-3|image = hydrogen-3.png|alternate_names = tritium, triton|mass_number = 3|symbol = H|num_neutrons = 2|num_protons = 1|abundance = Trace radioisotope|halflife = 12.32
years]|decay_energy1 = 0.018590|decay_product = Helium-3|decay_symbol =He|decay_mass =3|mass = 3.0160492|spin = 1/2+|excess_energy = 14949.794|error1 = 0.001|binding_energy = 8481.821|error2 = 0.004|-->
Tritium (symbol
T or
³H) is a radioactive
isotope of hydrogen. The atomic nucleus of tritium (sometimes called
triton) contains one
proton and two
neutrons, whereas the nucleus of Hydrogen atom (the most abundant hydrogen isotope) contains no neutrons. Its atomic mass is 3.0160492. It is a gas (T2 or ³H2) at standard temperature and pressure. Tritium combines with
oxygen to form a liquid called tritiated water T2O or partially tritiated THO.
Tritium is radioactive with a
half-life of 12.32 years. It decays into helium-3 by the reaction
{}^3_1\hbox{T}\to{}^3_2\hbox{He}^++\hbox{e}^-+\overline{\nu}_{\hbox{e-->
releasing 18.6 keV of energy. The
electron has an average kinetic energy of 5.7 keV, while the remaining energy is carried off by the nearly undetectable
electron antineutrino. The low-energy beta radiation from tritium cannot penetrate human skin, so tritium is only dangerous if inhaled or ingested. Its low energy also creates difficulty detecting tritium labelled compounds except by using
liquid scintillation counting.
Production
Tritium occurs naturally due to cosmic rays interacting with atmospheric gases. In the most important reaction for natural tritium production, a
fast neutron (>4MeV ) interacts with atmospheric nitrogen:
{}^{14}_7\hbox{N}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^{12}_6\hbox{C}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
Because of tritium's relatively short half-life, however, tritium produced in this manner does not accumulate over geological timescales, and its natural abundance is negligible.
Industrially, tritium is produced in nuclear reactors by neutron activation of lithium-6.
{}^6_3\hbox{Li}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
High-energy neutrons can also produce tritium from lithium-7. This was discovered when the 1954 Castle Bravo#High yield cause nuclear test produced an unexpectedly high yield.
{}^7_3\hbox{Li}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}+{}^1\hbox{n}
.
Tritium can also be produced from
boron through
neutron capture.
{}^{10}_5\hbox{B}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
Tritium's decay product helium-3 has a very large cross section for the (n,p) reaction and is rapidly converted back to tritium in a nuclear reactor.
{}^3_2\hbox{He}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^1_1\hbox{H}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
Tritium is occasionally a direct product of
nuclear fission, with a yield of about 0.01% (one per 10000 fissions). This means that tritium release or recovery needs to be considered in nuclear reprocessing even of ordinary
spent nuclear fuel where tritium production was not a goal.
Tritium is also produced in
heavy water-moderated reactors when
deuterium captures a neutron, but this reaction has a small cross section (physics).
According to
IEER 1996 report for the United States Department of Energy, only 225 kg of tritium has been produced in the US since 1955. Since it is continuously decaying into helium-3, the stockpile was estimated as approximately 75 kg at the time of the report.
Properties
Tritium figures prominently in studies of
nuclear fusion due to its favorable reaction
Cross section (physics) and the high energy yield of 17.6 MeV for its reaction with deuterium:
{}^3_1\hbox{T}+{}^2_1\hbox{D}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+\hbox{n}
All atomic nuclei, being composed of protons and neutrons, repel one another because of their positive charge. However, if the atoms have a high enough temperature and pressure (as is the case in the core of the Sun, for example), then their random motions can overcome such electrical repulsion (called the
Coulomb's law), and they can come close enough for the
strong nuclear force to take effect, fusing them into heavier atoms. Since tritium has the same charge as ordinary hydrogen, it experiences the same electrostatic repulsive force (see
Coulomb's law). However, due to tritium's supply of neutrons which are carried into reactions and feel the attractive strong force once delivered, tritium can more easily fuse with other light atoms. The same is also true, albeit to a lesser extent, of deuterium, and that is why brown dwarfs (so-called failed stars) can not burn hydrogen, but do indeed burn deuterium. 1.2 Curie 4" x .2" Tritium vials are simply tritium gas filled thin glass vials whose inner surfaces are coated with a phosphor. The "gaseous tritium light source" vial shown here is 1.5 years old.
Before the onset of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, the global equilibrium tritium inventory was estimated at about 80 megacuries (MCi).
Like hydrogen, tritium is difficult to confine; rubber, plastic, and some kinds of
steel are all somewhat permeable. This has raised concerns that if tritium is used in quantity, in particular for fusion reactors, it may contribute to radioactive contamination, although its short half-life should prevent any significant accumulation in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric nuclear testing (prior to the
Partial Test Ban Treaty) proved unexpectedly useful to oceanographers, as the sharp spike in surface tritium levels could be used over the years to measure the rate at which the lower and upper ocean levels mixed.
Regulatory limits
The legal limits for tritium in
drinking water can vary. The U.S. limit is calculated to yield a dose of 4
Röntgen equivalent man (or 40 micro
sieverts in
SI units) per year.
- Canada 7,000 Becquerel/L.
- United States 740 Becquerel/L or 20,000 pCurie/L (Safe Drinking Water Act)
- World Health Organization 1,000 Becquerel/L.
Usage
Self-powered lighting
The emitted electrons from small amounts of tritium cause phosphors to glow so as to make self-powered lighting devices called
trasers which are now used in
watches and
exit signs. It is also used in certain countries to make
Luminescence keychains, and compasses. In recent years, the same process has been used to make self-illuminating iron sights for firearms. These take the place of radium, which can cause bone cancer. These uses of radium have been banned in most countries for decades.
The aforementioned IEER report claims that the commercial demand for tritium is 400 grams per year.
Nuclear weapons
Tritium is used in
nuclear weapons to obtain higher yields, either through boosted fission weapon of fission, or through thermonuclear fusion. However, as tritium quickly decays and is difficult to contain, many thermonuclear weapons contain lithium deuteride instead, since the high neutron fluxes will produce tritium from the lithium when the bomb detonates. Injection of a variable amount of
deuterium and tritium into the fission core pit before initiation is one of the techniques to achieve
variable yield. Increased yields from tritium injection is due to increased
fission efficiency from the high flux of neutrons produced by the fusion of tritium. Tritium injection can double the yield of a fission bomb for the same amount of plutonium; however comparatively little energy is produced by the fusion of the tritium per se, so such boosted weapons are not conventional two-stage
thermonuclear weapons ("hydrogen bombs"). See nuclear weapon design.
Because the tritium in the
warhead is continuously decaying it is necessary to replenish it periodically. The estimated use per warhead is 4 grams per year for a 1996 total of 2.2 kg per year for the entire US nuclear weapons arsenal.
Controlled nuclear fusion
Tritium is an important fuel for controlled nuclear fusion in both Magnetic fusion energy and
inertial confinement fusion reactor designs. The experimental fusion reactor ITER and the National Ignition Facility
(NIF) will use Deuterium-Tritium
(D-T) fuel. The
Fusion power#The D-T fuel cycle is favored since it has the largest fusion
Cross section (physics) (~ 5 Barn (unit) peak) and reaches this maximum cross-section at the lowest energy (~65 Electronvolt center-of-mass) of any potential fusion fuel.
History
Tritium was first predicted in the late 1920s by
Walter Russell, using his "spiral" periodic table, then produced in 1934 from deuterium, another isotope of hydrogen, by
Ernest Rutherford, working with
Mark Oliphant and Paul Harteck. Rutherford was unable to isolate the tritium, a job that was left to Luis Alvarez and Robert Cornog, who correctly deduced that the substance was radioactive. Willard F. Libby discovered that tritium could be used for
Radiometric dating water, and therefore wine.
External links
- Nuclear Data Evaluation Lab
- Annotated bibliography for tritium from the Alsos Digital Library
- NLM Hazardous Substances Databank – Tritium, Radioactive
{{Isotope|element=Hydrogen|lighter=[Hydrogen-2|before=[Hydrogen-4-->
{{Infobox isotope|background = #ffcccc|text_color = |isotope_name = Hydrogen-3|image = hydrogen-3.png|alternate_names = tritium, triton|mass_number = 3|symbol = H|num_neutrons = 2|num_protons = 1|abundance =
Trace radioisotope|halflife = 12.32 years]|decay_energy1 = 0.018590|decay_product = Helium-3|decay_symbol =He|decay_mass =3|mass = 3.0160492|spin = 1/2+|excess_energy = 14949.794|error1 = 0.001|binding_energy = 8481.821|error2 = 0.004|-->
Tritium (symbol
T or
³H) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The atomic nucleus of tritium (sometimes called
triton) contains one
proton and two
neutrons, whereas the nucleus of Hydrogen atom (the most abundant hydrogen isotope) contains no neutrons. Its atomic mass is 3.0160492. It is a gas (T2 or ³H2) at standard temperature and pressure. Tritium combines with
oxygen to form a liquid called tritiated water T2O or partially tritiated THO.
Tritium is radioactive with a half-life of 12.32 years. It decays into helium-3 by the reaction
{}^3_1\hbox{T}\to{}^3_2\hbox{He}^++\hbox{e}^-+\overline{\nu}_{\hbox{e-->
releasing 18.6 keV of energy. The
electron has an average kinetic energy of 5.7 keV, while the remaining energy is carried off by the nearly undetectable electron antineutrino. The low-energy beta radiation from tritium cannot penetrate human skin, so tritium is only dangerous if inhaled or ingested. Its low energy also creates difficulty detecting tritium labelled compounds except by using liquid scintillation counting.
Production
Tritium occurs naturally due to cosmic rays interacting with atmospheric gases. In the most important reaction for natural tritium production, a fast neutron (>4
MeV ) interacts with atmospheric
nitrogen:
{}^{14}_7\hbox{N}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^{12}_6\hbox{C}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
Because of tritium's relatively short half-life, however, tritium produced in this manner does not accumulate over geological timescales, and its natural abundance is negligible.
Industrially, tritium is produced in nuclear reactors by neutron activation of
lithium-6.
{}^6_3\hbox{Li}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
High-energy neutrons can also produce tritium from lithium-7. This was discovered when the 1954 Castle Bravo#High yield cause nuclear test produced an unexpectedly high yield.
{}^7_3\hbox{Li}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}+{}^1\hbox{n}
.
Tritium can also be produced from boron through
neutron capture.
{}^{10}_5\hbox{B}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^4_2\hbox{He}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
Tritium's decay product
helium-3 has a very large cross section for the (n,p) reaction and is rapidly converted back to tritium in a nuclear reactor.
{}^3_2\hbox{He}+{}^1\hbox{n}\to{}^1_1\hbox{H}+{}^3_1\hbox{T}
Tritium is occasionally a direct product of nuclear fission, with a yield of about 0.01% (one per 10000 fissions). This means that tritium release or recovery needs to be considered in
nuclear reprocessing even of ordinary
spent nuclear fuel where tritium production was not a goal.
Tritium is also produced in heavy water-moderated reactors when deuterium captures a neutron, but this reaction has a small cross section (physics).
According to IEER 1996 report for the United States Department of Energy, only 225 kg of tritium has been produced in the US since 1955. Since it is continuously decaying into helium-3, the stockpile was estimated as approximately 75 kg at the time of the report.
Properties
Tritium figures prominently in studies of
nuclear fusion due to its favorable reaction Cross section (physics) and the high energy yield of 17.6 MeV for its reaction with deuterium:
{}^3_1\hbox{T}+{}^2_1\hbox{D}\to{}^4_2\hbox{He}+\hbox{n}
All atomic nuclei, being composed of protons and neutrons, repel one another because of their positive charge. However, if the atoms have a high enough temperature and pressure (as is the case in the core of the Sun, for example), then their random motions can overcome such electrical repulsion (called the Coulomb's law), and they can come close enough for the
strong nuclear force to take effect, fusing them into heavier atoms. Since tritium has the same charge as ordinary hydrogen, it experiences the same electrostatic repulsive force (see
Coulomb's law). However, due to tritium's supply of neutrons which are carried into reactions and feel the attractive strong force once delivered, tritium can more easily fuse with other light atoms. The same is also true, albeit to a lesser extent, of deuterium, and that is why brown dwarfs (so-called failed stars) can not burn hydrogen, but do indeed burn deuterium. 1.2 Curie 4" x .2" Tritium vials are simply tritium gas filled thin glass vials whose inner surfaces are coated with a
phosphor. The "gaseous tritium light source" vial shown here is 1.5 years old.
Before the onset of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, the global equilibrium tritium inventory was estimated at about 80 megacuries (MCi).
Like hydrogen, tritium is difficult to confine; rubber,
plastic, and some kinds of
steel are all somewhat permeable. This has raised concerns that if tritium is used in quantity, in particular for fusion reactors, it may contribute to radioactive contamination, although its short half-life should prevent any significant accumulation in the atmosphere.
Atmospheric nuclear testing (prior to the Partial Test Ban Treaty) proved unexpectedly useful to oceanographers, as the sharp spike in surface tritium levels could be used over the years to measure the rate at which the lower and upper ocean levels mixed.
Regulatory limits
The legal limits for tritium in
drinking water can vary. The U.S. limit is calculated to yield a dose of 4
Röntgen equivalent man (or 40 micro
sieverts in
SI units) per year.
Usage
Self-powered lighting
The emitted electrons from small amounts of tritium cause
phosphors to glow so as to make self-powered lighting devices called trasers which are now used in watches and
exit signs. It is also used in certain countries to make
Luminescence keychains, and compasses. In recent years, the same process has been used to make self-illuminating iron sights for firearms. These take the place of
radium, which can cause bone cancer. These uses of radium have been banned in most countries for decades.
The aforementioned IEER report claims that the commercial demand for tritium is 400 grams per year.
Nuclear weapons
Tritium is used in
nuclear weapons to obtain higher yields, either through
boosted fission weapon of fission, or through thermonuclear fusion. However, as tritium quickly decays and is difficult to contain, many
thermonuclear weapons contain lithium deuteride instead, since the high neutron fluxes will produce tritium from the lithium when the bomb detonates. Injection of a variable amount of
deuterium and tritium into the fission core pit before initiation is one of the techniques to achieve
variable yield. Increased yields from tritium injection is due to increased
fission efficiency from the high flux of neutrons produced by the fusion of tritium. Tritium injection can double the yield of a fission bomb for the same amount of plutonium; however comparatively little energy is produced by the fusion of the tritium per se, so such boosted weapons are not conventional two-stage thermonuclear weapons ("hydrogen bombs"). See
nuclear weapon design.
Because the tritium in the warhead is continuously decaying it is necessary to replenish it periodically. The estimated use per warhead is 4 grams per year for a 1996 total of 2.2 kg per year for the entire US nuclear weapons arsenal.
Controlled nuclear fusion
Tritium is an important fuel for controlled
nuclear fusion in both
Magnetic fusion energy and
inertial confinement fusion reactor designs. The experimental fusion reactor ITER and the
National Ignition Facility (NIF) will use
Deuterium-Tritium
(D-T) fuel. The Fusion power#The D-T fuel cycle is favored since it has the largest fusion Cross section (physics) (~ 5
Barn (unit) peak) and reaches this maximum cross-section at the lowest energy (~65 Electronvolt center-of-mass) of any potential fusion fuel.
History
Tritium was first predicted in the late 1920s by
Walter Russell, using his "spiral" periodic table, then produced in
1934 from
deuterium, another isotope of hydrogen, by
Ernest Rutherford, working with
Mark Oliphant and
Paul Harteck. Rutherford was unable to isolate the tritium, a job that was left to
Luis Alvarez and Robert Cornog, who correctly deduced that the substance was radioactive.
Willard F. Libby discovered that tritium could be used for Radiometric dating water, and therefore
wine.
External links
- Nuclear Data Evaluation Lab
- Annotated bibliography for tritium from the Alsos Digital Library
- NLM Hazardous Substances Databank – Tritium, Radioactive
{{Isotope|element=Hydrogen|lighter=[Hydrogen-2|before=[Hydrogen-4-->
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Manufacturer of compact WLAN accessories and community broadband sharing schemes.
Tritium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tritium (pronounced /ˈtɹɪt.i.əm/, symbol T or 3 H) is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium (sometimes called a triton) contains one proton and two ...
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Tritium Bomb
Presents one handed trick by Samuel Chan and offers color diagrams along with some brief instructions.
tritium - Hutchinson encyclopedia article about tritium
tritium. Radioactive isotope of hydrogen, three times as heavy as ordinary hydrogen, with a nucleus consisting of one proton and two neutrons. It has a half-life of 12.5 years.
Tritium Handling & Processing Capabilities
Tritium Handling & Processing Capabilities : Introduction Waste Management Technology has extensive experience in a range of different tritium handling and processing operations.
Zalman CNPS9700-NT nVidia Tritium CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2 ...
To look at the cooler, you would think the CNPS9700-NT is exactly the same as the hugely successful CNPS9500-AM2. But on closer inspection, you will soon notice that the cooler is ...
SourceForge.net: the tritium window manager
The world's largest development and download repository of Open Source code and applications ... tritium is a tiling/tabbed window manager for the X Window System inspired by the ...
Tritium
Hydrogen has an atomic number of 1. This means that hydrogen atoms have a single proton. They also have a single electron: this is lost when a hydrogen atom turns ...
tritium - definition of tritium in the Medical dictionary - by the ...
tritium /trit·i·um/ (trit´e-um) see hydrogen. trit·i·um (tr t-m, tr sh-) n. Symbol T. A rare radioactive hydrogen isotope with atomic mass 3 and half-life 12.5 years, prepared ...
