When electrons interact with deuterium atoms or ions, several different reactions can occur. Deuterium (D) is an isotope of hydrogen, with one proton, one neutron, and one electron. Below are some of the possible reactions when electrons interact with deuterium atoms and deuterium positive ions:
When deuterium reacts with an electron, one nuclear reaction is also possible. It happens at a very high temperature and or pressure or in a case where a high-velocity electron is directed towards the nuclei of a deuterium atom. A very rare and unstable dineutron nucleus is formed in such a case.
When an electron comes very near to the nucleus of the deuterium, it fuses with an up quark of proton, and weak force changes the flavour of the up quark to a down quark and emits a neutrino. Such reactions are quite rare and highly endothermic due to positive mass defects. As a result of flavour change, the proton changes to a neutron, so a highly unstable dineutron nucleus is formed, which instantly disintegrates to either two neutrons.
As for the D(2) molecule, the bond between the two atoms will be broken because the nuclei are no longer positively charged and unstable.
To summarize, electrons can interact with deuterium atoms and deuterium positive ions in various ways, resulting in different reactions:
The first five reactions primarily involve changes in the electronic configurations of deuterium atoms or molecules, while the sixth reaction is a rare nuclear process that involves a change in the nuclear configuration of deuterium atoms. These reactions can occur under different conditions, such as high temperatures, pressures, or in the presence of high-velocity electrons.
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