Q.Do you think that heavy water can be used for drinking purposes?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Step 1. Heavy water (D₂O) is chemically very similar to ordinary water (H₂O) -- it dissolves things, forms hydrogen (deuterium) bonds, and takes part in broadly the same reactions.
Step 2. However, deuterium's greater mass makes its bonds (O-D, and by extension any C-D bonds it exchanges into) stronger and shorter than the corresponding O-H/C-H bonds, which is enough to measurably slow down enzyme-catalysed and other metabolic reactions that rely on breaking those bonds at a normal rate (a "kinetic isotope effect").
Step 3. Because living systems depend on those reactions running at their normal rate, substantial or sustained intake of heavy water in place of ordinary water disrupts normal biological function -- so heavy water is not considered safe for regular drinking, even though a small amount would not be acutely toxic. …
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