[Hagrid]

I'm not sure if this is more a question for a physics forum, but I signed up to this place to ask some other homework questions and I'd like to clear up a few questions of scientific interest that I never got a chance to learn during the course of my studies so far while I'm here

What processes will fractionate water isotropically and how?I'm interested in the actual mechanical processes involved between chemical phases or species.... where the lighter vs. heavier isotopes are going and that kind of thing and whether this is just a 'superficial thing', like do they go right back straight after?

Sorry if this is stupid or makes no sense - I may have misunderstood some fundamental things.

[Jorriss]

I don't follow your question. Could you try rewording it perhaps?

[juanrga]

Sorry, but by definition water is always water. Water cannot be other thing.

The response to your question is: "never".

[Arkcon]

Stripped of your "poetic" title, you're basically asking how is deuterium purified away from hydrogen to make heavy water.  Here's a wikipedia link to one process:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdler_sulfide_process  Basically, different isotopes have slightly different physical and chemical properties.  By engineering, we can use those properties to concentrate an isotope gradually, and by repeating the process, concentrate further.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotope_separation

[DrCMS]

I think what the OP was asking was if we separate say water in to  H₂¹⁶O, H₂¹⁷O, H₂¹⁸, D₂¹⁶O, D₂¹⁸ O  etc what are thes material called.  The answer is they are all still water.