tritium
Sign in to saveTritium () or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of 12.32 years. The tritium nucleus (t, sometimes called a triton) contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of the common isotope hydrogen-1 (protium) contains one proton and no neutrons, and that of non-radioactive hydrogen-2 (deuterium) contains one proton and one neutron. Tritium is the heaviest particle-bound isotope of hydrogen. It is one of the few nuclides with a distinct name. The use of the name hydrogen-3, though more systematic, is much less common.
AI overview
Tritium is a rare, radioactive form of hydrogen that decays slowly over time, with a half-life of about 12 years. It differs from common hydrogen because its nucleus contains an extra neutron, making it heavier and unstable compared to the ordinary hydrogen found in water and other everyday substances.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Isotope.image
- Tritium-Glowring - 320s.jpg
- Isotope.name
- Tritium
- Isotope.alternate_names
- hydrogen-3, T, T
- Isotope.mass_number
- 3
- Isotope.symbol
- H
- Isotope.num_neutrons
- 2
- Isotope.num_protons
- 1
- Isotope.abundance
- 10 in hydrogen
- Isotope.halflife
- 12.32 years
- Isotope.decay_mode1
- Beta emission
- Isotope.decay_energy1
- 0.018592
- Isotope.decay_product
- Helium-3
- Isotope.decay_symbol
Article
34 sectionsContents
- History
- Decay
- Production
- Lithium
- Boron
- Deuterium
- Fission
- Fukushima Daiichi
- Helium-3
- Cosmic rays
- Production history
- USA
- Properties
- Health risks
- Environmental contamination
- Regulatory limits
- Use
- Radiometric assays in biology and medicine
- Self-powered lighting
- Nuclear weapons
- Neutron initiator
- Boosting
- Tritium in hydrogen bomb secondaries
- Controlled nuclear fusion
- Electrical power source
- Use in electron tubes
- Use as an oceanic transient tracer
- North Atlantic Ocean
- Pacific and Indian oceans
- Mississippi River system
- See also
- Footnotes
- References
- External links
Tritium () or hydrogen-3 (symbol T or H) is a rare and radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a half-life of 12.32 years. The tritium nucleus (t, sometimes called a triton) contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of the common isotope hydrogen-1 (protium) contains one proton and no neutrons, and that of non-radioactive hydrogen-2 (deuterium) contains one proton and one neutron. Tritium is the heaviest particle-bound isotope of hydrogen. It is one of the few nuclides with a distinct name. The use of the name hydrogen-3, though more systematic, is much less common.
Naturally occurring tritium is extremely rare on Earth. The atmosphere has only trace amounts, formed by the interaction of its gases with cosmic rays. It can be produced artificially by irradiation of lithium or lithium-bearing ceramic pebbles in a nuclear reactor and is a low-abundance byproduct in normal operations of nuclear reactors.