Edit: wow okay, I did not expect to wake up to THIS. Of course my most popular post would be a dumb stoner question.
Thankyou so much for the awards and the answers, I can sleep a little easier now
In: Chemistry
A single atom of Hydrogen has one proton in the nucleus, and one electron, and is electrically neutral. But the quantum physics that govern electron behavior around an atomic nucleus allow two electrons in that energy level (or shell). In fact, two electrons is a more stable state than one. So a Hydrogen atom pairs up with a buddy, and they share the two electrons in the shell, to form a Hydrogen molecule – H*_2_*.
Oxygen is similar – it has 6 outer electrons in a shell that can allow 8, so Oxygen atoms buddy up to form Oxygen molecules, where each atom has 8 electrons part of the time. So while oxygen atoms and hydrogen atoms are both really reactive on their own, when they are in molecules they are quite stable.
If you mix Oxygen molecules and Hydrogen molecules, nothing will happen – it’s still stable. Throw a spark in there, and you get a **BOOM**. All it takes is one molecule of oxygen to be disrupted into oxygen atoms, and those free atoms will rip the Hydrogen molecules apart to form something stable (water – H*_2_*O). This is more stable than the original molecules, and chemical binding energy in the form of heat is released – this helps further molecules break up and react. A disconnected atom of hydrogen or oxygen is called a *free radical* which can initiate further molecular breakup and then gets released to trigger more reactions. This is why exploding Hydrogen/Oxygen is so fast and energetic, and was used for rocket fuel.
In the book *The Martian*, the protagonist needs water for the potato plants he is growing. He has Oxygen, but he makes Hydrogen from a rocket fuel called Hydrazine and a catalyst that releases hydrogen and nitrogen. He has to ensure the hydrogen keeps burning to make water to prevent hydrogen explosions.
Latest Answers