Liquid water – made from two types of gas. Makes no sense to me, whatsoever. Water seems to be one of the strangest substances and we completely take it for granted that, apparently, it’s made of gas!
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Part of the confusion is the fact that the words “hydrogen” and “oxygen” have multiple and distinct meanings which are often used interchangeably.
Water (a water molecule) is composed of the elements hydrogen and oxygen, specifically an oxygen atom connected to two separate and distinct hydrogen atoms, with the oxygen atom sharing electrons with each hydrogen atom.
“Hydrogen gas” and “oxygen gas” are both ***diatomic molecules***, each composed of two atoms of their respective elements.
Put another way:
The element hydrogen is defined as one proton plus one electron. This is one atom of hydrogen.
The gas known as hydrogen is two hydrogen atoms bound together — that is, two individual protons, sharing two electrons between them, forming a diatomic molecule of hydrogen.
The element oxygen is six protons in a mass with six (sometimes more) neutrons, surrounded by six electrons. This is one atom of oxygen.
Oxygen gas is two atoms of oxygen sharing electrons with one another, forming one diatomic molecule of oxygen.
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