Atomic Conservation in Ionized Hydrogen Gas

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on atomic conservation in ionized hydrogen gas, specifically when transitioning from molecular hydrogen (H2) to a mixture of species including electrons (e-), hydrogen atoms (H), protons (H+), molecular hydrogen (H2), hydride ions (H-), and hydrogen molecular ions (H2+). The key equation for atomic conservation is presented as b_k = ∑(a_{i,k} * y_i), where a_{i,k} represents the number of atoms of component k in species i, b_k is the number of moles of component k per mass of mixture, and y_i is the number of moles of species i per mass of the mixture. The challenge lies in applying this conservation principle consistently in the context of ionized species, particularly regarding the treatment of electrons and ions.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Gibbs free energy minimization
  • Familiarity with chemical species and their interactions in plasma physics
  • Knowledge of atomic conservation laws in chemical systems
  • Basic concepts of ionization and electron behavior in gases
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of Gibbs free energy in ionized systems
  • Research atomic conservation equations in plasma physics
  • Learn about the behavior of electrons in ionized gases
  • Explore the role of different ions in chemical equilibrium
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This discussion is beneficial for chemists, physicists, and engineers working with plasma systems, particularly those involved in modeling ionized gases and understanding atomic conservation in chemical reactions.

Mr. Cosmos
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Dear all,
So I have a question concerning atomic conservation in an ionized hydrogen gas. So imagine we have ## H_2 ## initially. Later the gas is taken to an appreciable temperature such that at equilibrium the following species are present, ## e^-, \ H, \ H^+, \ H_2, \ H^-, \ \text{and} \ H_2^+##. In order to properly minimize the Gibbs free energy for such a system I need to appropriately apply atomic conservation in the form,
##b_k = \sum_{i = 1}^n a_{i,k} \ y_i ##
where ## a_{i,k} ## is the number of atoms of component ## k ## in species ## i ##, ## b_k ## is the number moles of component ## k ## per mass of mixture, ## n ## is the total number of species, and ## y_i ## is the number of moles of species ## i ## per mass of the mixture. This is fairly simple when dealing with chemical systems that are not ionizing. However, I am confused about how to treat the atomic conservation in the case of ionized hydrogen. I am not entirely sure how to treat the electron and other ions, so that the conservation is consistent. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
 
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In this case, I would take the "chemical species" to be protons and electrons, and write the conservation equations for p and e.
 

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