What Is Deuterium? The Heavy Hydrogen in d9-Caffeine

Deuterium is one of those words that sounds like it belongs in a physics lab. It does, and it also belongs in every glass of water you have ever had. It is the reason d9-caffeine lasts longer than ordinary caffeine, so it is worth understanding what it is, how much of it you already carry, and how much is in a capsule.

What deuterium is

Deuterium is a naturally occurring form of hydrogen. An ordinary hydrogen atom has a single proton. Deuterium has a proton and a neutron, which makes it roughly twice as heavy. That is why it is often called heavy hydrogen. It was discovered in 1931 by the chemist Harold Urey, who received the Nobel Prize for the work.

Deuterium is stable. It is not radioactive, and it does not decay into anything. The radioactive form of hydrogen is a different isotope, tritium, which has two neutrons and has nothing to do with d9-caffeine.

You already live with it

Roughly one in every 6,400 hydrogen atoms in ocean water is deuterium, and the same tiny share runs through the water you drink, the food you eat and the water in your own body. An adult body holds more than a gram of deuterium in its water at any moment, simply as a consequence of living on a planet made largely of water.

What about heavy water?

Heavy water is water in which both hydrogen atoms are deuterium. In concentrated form it is used in some nuclear reactors, and in animal studies it only causes harm when it replaces a large share of the body's water, an amount far beyond anything found in food or supplements. d9-caffeine is not heavy water. Its deuterium is locked into the caffeine molecule itself.

Why chemists put deuterium into molecules

Because deuterium is heavier, a bond between carbon and deuterium is stronger than a bond between carbon and ordinary hydrogen, and enzymes break it more slowly. Chemists call this the kinetic isotope effect. Researchers have used deuterium-labeled compounds as tracers for decades, and since 2017 the FDA has approved several prescription medicines built by placing deuterium at the exact spots where the body breaks a drug down.

d9-caffeine applies the same idea to caffeine. Its nine deuterium atoms sit on the three methyl groups the liver's CYP1A2 enzyme removes first. Bonded to carbon, they do not swap with the water in your body. They simply slow the breakdown, which is why, in a 2022 human study, d9-caffeine produced four to five times the total exposure of the same molar dose of regular caffeine. Our explainer on what d9-caffeine is covers the full picture.

How much deuterium is in a capsule

This is the number that puts everything in perspective. Deuterium makes up about 9 percent of d9-caffeine by weight, so a 22.5 mg capsule contains about 2 mg of deuterium. Four capsules, the daily maximum, contain about 8 mg. An ordinary 8-ounce glass of water contains roughly the same amount, around 8 mg, and a typical day of drinking water brings in close to ten times that.

Is the deuterium in d9-caffeine safe?

The amount is a small fraction of what you already consume and carry. The safety work on d9-caffeine itself is reassuring: laboratory genetic safety tests were negative, it was well tolerated in the human study, and according to its developer an independent panel concluded it is generally recognized as safe at up to 90 mg a day from all sources. The precautions that matter are the caffeine precautions, covered below.

Who should check with a physician first

d9-caffeine is caffeine. Skip it, or talk to your physician first, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, sensitive to caffeine, or have a heart condition, high blood pressure, an arrhythmia, or an anxiety disorder, and check with your physician or pharmacist if you take prescription medication. Take it in the morning, since it lasts longer than regular caffeine.

How Vita Bloom fits

Caffeine 2.0 delivers 22.5 mg of patented Deura9® d9-caffeine per capsule, with nothing else active. Take one to four capsules a day, starting with one, and stay at or under 90 mg of d9-caffeine. For how long it lasts, read caffeine half-life and d9-caffeine.

Frequently asked questions

Is deuterium radioactive?

No. Deuterium is a stable form of hydrogen. The radioactive hydrogen isotope is tritium, which is unrelated to d9-caffeine.

Is there heavy water in d9-caffeine?

No. d9-caffeine is a caffeine molecule with deuterium bonded into it. It contains no heavy water.

Is deuterium safe to consume?

You consume it every day in water and food. The daily maximum of d9-caffeine contains about as much deuterium as one glass of water.

What happens to the deuterium in d9-caffeine?

Your body processes it along with the rest of the molecule, more slowly than ordinary caffeine. The trace amount involved is small next to the deuterium your body already holds.

Is d9-caffeine related to deuterium-depleted water?

No. Deuterium-depleted water is a separate wellness product. d9-caffeine uses deuterium for one specific purpose: slowing how quickly caffeine is broken down.

Deura9® is a registered trademark of Lennham Pharmaceuticals, Inc. under exclusive license to d9 Designs Inc.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.