Tritium oxide

Structural formula
General
Surname	Tritium oxide
other names	super heavy water
Molecular formula	T 2 O ( 3 H 2 O)
Brief description	colorless liquid
External identifiers / databases
CAS number 14940-65-9 PubChem 104752 ChemSpider 94563 Wikidata Q424236
properties
Molar mass	22.0315 g mol −1
Physical state	liquid
density	1.21 g cm −3
Melting point	4.48 ° C
boiling point	101.51 ° C
Hazard and safety information
Radioactive
GHS hazard labeling no classification available
As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions .

Tritium oxide or superheavy water is a chemical compound . It is built up in the same way as the water molecule , but the hydrogen atoms in tritium oxide are replaced by atoms of the heaviest hydrogen isotope, tritium . As a result, the molar mass of tritium oxide is higher than that of water or heavy water (deuterium oxide), which explains the name "super- heavy water".

Since tritium is radioactive and breaks down to helium ( half-life : 12.32 years), excessively heavy water is unstable. When tritium atoms decay, an electron and an antineutrino are set free; it is a β ^- decay .

Tritium oxide occurs naturally only in very small quantities.

Due to its high diffusivity, excessively heavy water in gaseous form is particularly dangerous for living beings, since when exposed it loads all organs equally with ionizing radiation. In particular, the very likely incorporation of tritium atoms into DNA is dangerous, which leads to massive radiation damage . Not only the affected molecule, but also other molecules are changed because the decay of tritium releases ionizing radiation .

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c d} A. F. Holleman , E. Wiberg , N. Wiberg : Textbook of Inorganic Chemistry . 102nd edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-017770-1 .
2. ↑ The hazards emanating from radioactivity do not belong to the properties to be classified according to the GHS labeling. With regard to other hazards, this substance has either not yet been classified or a reliable and citable source has not yet been found.