lithium deuteride

chemical compound

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July 19, 2026

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Lithium deuteride (LiD) is a chemical compound formed from the elements lithium and deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. It appears as a flammable crystalline solid.12

Lithium itself is the lightest alkali metal and is soft, white, and lustrous. Deuterium has a nucleus containing one proton and one neutron, making it twice as massive as ordinary hydrogen.31

LiD is used in thermonuclear weapons as a substitute for both deuterium and tritium. Lithium hydride (LiH), a related compound, is used as a source of hydrogen and in synthesizing other lithium compounds.12

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nuclear weapon
Further refinements
It used solid lithium deuteride rather than liquid deuterium and produced a yield of 15 megatons, 1,000 times as large as the Hiroshima bomb. Here the principal thermonuclear reaction was the fusion of deuterium and tritium. The tritium was produced in the weapon itself by neutron bombardment of…
Read More
It used solid lithium deuteride rather than liquid deuterium and produced a yield of 15 megatons, 1,000 times as large as the Hiroshima bomb. Here the principal thermonuclear reaction was the fusion of deuterium and tritium. The tritium was produced in the weapon itself by neutron bombardment of…
Read More