Hydrogen has the atomic number 1 for a very good reason,
namely that the hydrogen atom has only one proton and one electron, but it has
other claims to the “number one” status.
It was one of the first elements created after the Big Bang,
along with helium and lithium, and it is by far the most abundant in the
Universe – 88% of all atoms are hydrogen atoms.
Its existence is vital for all life on Earth because it is
the fuel that keeps the Sun burning, producing helium nuclei and vast
quantities of energy as it does so. Unfortunately, hydrogen has also been
“tamed” by mankind to create the fearsome hydrogen bomb.
Hydrogen has the huge advantage of combining readily with
other atoms to form compounds – two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom produce
one molecule of water, and, when allied with carbon, it enables the bonding of
the cells of living beings.
When living organisms die and decompose, the hydrocarbons
they leave behind can turn into natural gas and fuel oil.
As a lighter-than-air gas, hydrogen was an obvious choice
for filling large balloons, such as airships. However, the fact that it is
highly inflammable proved to be a major disadvantage, as in the notorious case
of the Hindenburg in 1937.
It is the presence of hydrogen in water that leads to the
strange behaviour of water when frozen. One would expect a solid to be denser
than a liquid, and that ice would therefore sink in water. However, when water
is cooled to 4 degrees Celsius, hydrogen bonding occurs that allows a single
water molecule to link with four others, thus giving the resulting solid a more
open, and thus less dense, structure.
Hydrogen is therefore a truly remarkable element. However,
the question “where would we be without it” makes no sense. There would not
only be no “we”, there wouldn’t be any “be” either!
© John Welford
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