Tritium is a radioactive isotope with chemical symbol 3h or t, and its nucleus contains 1 proton and 2 neutrons. A neutron in the nucleus makes it a radioactive element. Tritium is named after the Greek letter τ ρ? το? ",meaning a third party, because its nucleus contains two protons and a neutron.

Tritium was first discovered by Douglas Ritley and Alfred Owena in 1934 at Kaveen Farm, and it was mainly obtained by heavy water reaction. Deuterium can be produced by the reaction between hydrogen and heavy water. Putting deuterium into Panyu reactor to reabsorb neutrons and excite it to form tritium is the main method to produce tritium in industry at present.

The function and harm of tritium;

Tritium can be used in medical treatment, energy and other fields, and can also be used as raw material for nuclear weapons. Tritium can also be used in hydrogen bombs, nuclear fission reaction control rods, polymer liquid crystal displays and other technical fields, and is widely used in life science research of labeling biomolecules. In industry, tritium is used in production, synthesis and research and development.

Tritium, on the other hand, has high activity and energy, and the radiation effect is obvious. Long-term exposure to tritium will bring threats to human health, such as damage to human DNA, and may induce the proliferation of cancer cells. Therefore, we must strictly follow the international nuclear safety standards and take appropriate protective measures to ensure the safe use of tritium.