Chemistry · Ch 4 — Hydrogen
Introduction
Introduction
Hydrogen is deceptively simple to describe -- one proton, one electron -- yet it doesn't fit neatly into any single group of the periodic table, and it is the third most abundant element on the surface of the universe, increasingly discussed as a major future energy source.
What this unit sets out to do. By the end of it you should be able to:
- justify hydrogen's position in the periodic table, and recognise its different isotopes;
- explain how hydrogen is prepared, and describe its properties and uses;
- differentiate the various types of hydrides hydrogen forms with other elements;
- connect the structure of the water molecule to its physical and chemical properties;
- differentiate hard and soft water, and select a suitable method for softening it;
- recognise heavy water and explain its properties;
- explain the preparation, properties and uses of hydrogen peroxide.
Note
Antoine Lavoisier -- the same chemist behind the first systematic list of elements -- is also the one who named hydrogen and oxygen, and introduced the modern system of chemical nomenclature in 1787. Hydrogen's name literally means "water-former" in Greek, a nod to the reaction this unit studies in detail.