For the exchange of hydrogen isotopes between streams of gaseous hydrogen and liquid water, wherein the streams are at a temperature in the range 273 to 573K are brought into contact with one another and a catalytically active mass, an improved catalytically active mass is provided comprising an inherently hydrophotic, porous, polytetrafluoroethylene matrix and partially platinized carbon particles dispersed throughout the whole of the porous polytetrafluoroethylene matrix in the weight ratio of 1:1 to 3:1 of polytetrafluoroethylene to partially platinized high surface area carbon particles. The inherently hydrophobic, porous, polytetrafluoroethylene matrix allows the catalytically active metal to catalyze the hydrogen isotope exchange reaction between hydrogen gas and water vapor in the presence of liquid water while retarding loss of activity of the catalytically active metal by contact of the metal catalyst with liquid water. This catalyzed chemical isotope exchange proceeds simultaneously with isotope exchange from water vapor to liquid water by a non-catalyzed, physical evaporation and condensation exchange reaction. The efficient coupling of these two isotopic transfer steps which results in a rapid overall isotopic exchange between hydrogen and liquid water without a pronounced loss of activity of the catalytically active mass is dependent upon the weight ratio of the catalytically active platinized carbon to the polytetrafluoroethylene matrix being in the above mentioned range of 1:1 to 3:1.
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