The deuteron is bound by nuclear forces just as H-atom is made up of p and e bound by electrostatic forces. If we consider the force between neutron and proton in deuteron as given in the form of a Coulomb potential but with an effective charge e':

F=14πε0·e'2r

estimate the value of (e'/e) given that the binding energy of a deuteron is 2.2 MeV.

Hint: The binding energy depends on the charge and the mass of the nucleons.
Step 1: Find the binding energy of the H-atom.
The binding energy in H-atom,
E=me44ε02h2=13.6eV........(i)
If proton and neutron had charge e' each and were governed by the same electrostatic force, then in the above equation, we would need to replace electronic mass m with the reduced mass m' of proton-neutron and the electronic charge e by e'.
m'=M×NM+N=M2
=1836m2=918m
Here, M represents the mass of a neutron/proton.
Step 2: Find the binding energy of Deuteron.
Bindingenergy=918m(e')48ε02h2=2.2MeV.......(ii)
Step 3: Find the ratio (e'/e).
Dividing Eqs. (ii) and (i), we get,
918(e'e)4=2.2MeV13.6eV=2.2×10613.6
(e'e)4=2.2×10613.6×918
e'e=176.2114=3.64