Heavy Water
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.
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
Sources
- Hersh, Seymour M. The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy. Random House, 1991. Chapter 2. ↩
Local network
Heavy Water's direct connections. Click any node to navigate, drag to pan, scroll (or pinch) to zoom. + 2‑hop expands the neighborhood one level further.
An interactive diagram of Heavy Water's connections, drawn on a canvas and explored with a pointer. The same connections are listed as links in the Connected and Mentioned-in sections below.
Legend — how to read this graph
- People
- Organizations
- Programs
- Events
- Concepts
- Places
Larger = more mentions across the vault.
Explicit link (wikilink between entries).
Inferred connection (name co-mention) — toggle with “Inferred”.
Gold ring — a bridge entity linking distant clusters.
Accent ring — your current selection.