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Show . 57 with the same mass as the proton but without electrical charge. particle was called neutron. The Two years later, Dr. Harold Urey at the University of Chicago discovered a water with the extra neutron in the hydrogen, i.e. heavy water. Prize for their work.5 Both Chadwick and Urey received the Nobel The discovery of the heavy water caused excite- ment at many places in the chemical and physical world. no different. Princeton was Eyring now had another test of his reaction rate theories using heavy water. However, his ideas could be extended to reactions involving many kinds of isotopes. The first paper after his prize win- ning paper for the AAAS gave an explanation for Urey's work on the separation of isotopes.6 Using quantum mechanics he explained why the heavier isotope is left behind upon electrolysis as Urey and Nashburn had found in their preparation of heavy water. Taylor, Eyring and associates then set out to produce their own heavy water and to perform experiments with it. During such an operation one of the things that trouble chemists most occurred. As Eyring was transporting a ten-gallon jar of hot potassium hydroxide (KOH), which was to be used in the electrolysis, it burst spilling its contents all over him. He immediately tore off his clothes and jumped under a near- by water shower. Fortunately, he suffered no injury except the embar- rassment of being without clothes for a short time. When they had finished their electrolysis operation, they had pro- duced large amounts of heavy water. With this water, they performed numerous experiments from solubility studies to determination of its effect on living organisms. Eyring's calculations predicted that salts were not as soluble in heavy water and that heavy water slowed reaction rates down. Experiments showed that in high concentrations of heavy |
