hydrogen is a chemical element symbolized by the letter H, and considered the simplest among all, being formed only by a proton and an electron.
Hydrogen molecules are essential for the composition of water, as is the Earth's atmosphere. and the tissues of all living organisms, in addition to being present in oil and coal, by example.
In everyday life, hydrogen is used to produce ammonia, a compound used to develop synthetic fibers and fertilizers, for example. In addition, hydrogen can still be used for the production of methanol, for rocket fuel, for the removal of sulfur from fuels, among other purposes.
Currently, thanks to the manipulation of hydrogen atoms, this element is also capable of producing energy. This enormous energy is released when atoms fuse, a phenomenon that occurs, for example, inside stars.
With this knowledge and mastery, some scientists have developed a powerful weapon of mass destruction: the hydrogen bomb. However, due to the intense power of this weapon, the use of the fusion of hydrogen nuclei came to be directed solely to the generation of electricity.
Learn more about merger meaning.
Compared to all the other elements and gases on the periodic table, hydrogen is the lightest, having a density 14 times less than air itself.
Hydrogen is the most abundant chemical element in the Universe (apart from dark matter and dark energy), representing approximately 75% of all mass in the Universe.
Hydrogen would have appeared in the Universe approximately 350,000 years after the Big Bang, an astronomical event that probably took place 14 billion years ago.
Learn more about meaning of the big bang.
Main characteristics of hydrogen
- Strong driving agent;
- Colorless gas, odorless, flammable and insoluble in water;
- Atomic Number (Z): 1;
- Atomic Weight: 1.00794;
- Table Group: 1 (IA);
- Physical State: Gaseous (T = 298K);
- Density: 0.0000899 g/cm3;
- Melting Point (MP): 14,025K;
- Boiling Point (PE): 20.268 K.
See also:molecule meaning.