Symbol: H
Atomic Mass: 1.00794
Atomic Number: 1
Group: 1A
Period: 1
Discovered: 1776
History
Hydrogen, although officially discovered in 1776 by Sir Thomas Cavendish, was in other uses by then. Alchemists in the middle ages created a substance they called "inflammable air" by mixing iron filings with hydrogen sulfate. This creates nearly pure hydrogen, which is lighter than air and also highly explosive. "Inflammable air" was used to lift balloons during the balloon craze in France in the late 1700s.
Cavendish found out that hydrogen was an element, but his discovery was named by a French scientist, Lavoisier. The name comes from hydro (water) and genes (comes from), because Cavendish first isolated it from water.
Structure
Hydrogen has one proton and one electron, with only one open spot in its orbital. Because of this, it is highly reactive and forms many compounds. Although hydrogen is a gas, it is not classed with the noble gases because its orbitals are not closed. Instead, it is classed as a nonmetal and put into group 1A.
Uses
Hydrogen powers the sun and most stars as well as appperaring in many forms on earth.
Hydrogen is mainly found on earth as water (H2O) and is found in most living organisms as well. It can be refined from water using an electrical process, as well as separated from several of its compounds. Although pure hydrogen is used mostly in fuel cells, several of its isotopes are radioactive and used for nuclear reactors. Hydrogen has been used in several types of atomic weapons (like H-bombs).
Facts
Hydrogen is a colorless gas at room temperature.
Hydrogen fuel cells consume hydrogen and can power cars and produe electricity, with only water as its by-product.
Hydrogen is used in cryogenics (the science of freezing organisms to preserve life functions) because its freezing point is 10 C higher than absolute zero.
http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/1.html
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