Heavy water () differs from ordinary water () in several key physical constants due to the increased — Hydrogen Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Due to the heavier isotopic mass, $D_2O$ exhibits stronger intermolecular associations, raising its boiling point to $101.4^\circ C$ and freezing point to $3.8^\circ C$. However, its dielectric constant ($78.06$) is slightly lower than that of ordinary water ($78.39$), making it a marginally poorer solvent for ionic compounds.