What Happens When You Add More Electrons to a Hydrogen Atom?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter avalanchesj
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    electrons proton
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hypothetical scenario of adding more electrons to a hydrogen atom, which consists of one proton and one electron. Participants explore the implications of this idea, including the resulting ion and its chemical properties, without reaching a consensus on the feasibility or broader implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the effects of adding additional electrons to a hydrogen atom, pondering what element or ion would result from this modification.
  • Another participant identifies that adding one proton and two electrons results in a hydride anion (H-).
  • A different viewpoint emphasizes that the identity of an element is determined by the number of protons, while the number of electrons defines the type of ion or neutral atom.
  • Further elaboration is provided on the properties of the hydride anion, noting its ability to chemically bond with cations like lithium, forming lithium hydride (LiH), and discussing the reaction involved.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present differing perspectives on the implications of adding electrons to a hydrogen atom, with some agreeing on the identification of the hydride anion while others focus on the fundamental definition of elements based on protons. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the broader implications of the initial question.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the assumptions made about the feasibility of adding electrons to a hydrogen atom and the definitions of elements and ions. The discussion does not resolve these assumptions or the implications of the proposed scenarios.

avalanchesj
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
So I was watching TV and I got to thinking. If a hydrogen atom has 1 proton and 1 electron... What element would you make if, instead of adding protons and nutron to the nucleus, you were to somehow add additional electrons to the orbitals of that single proton? Is it even possible and what effect would it have?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
One proton plus two electrons is a hydride anion.
 
The element is, by definition, given by the number of protons. The number of electrons determines which type of ion (or neutral atom) you have.
 
The properties in general, would be that H- (the hydride anion, as noted above) would chemically bind with cations such as Li+, creating chemical compounds such as Lithium Hydride (LiH), which interestingly is the lightest ionic compound. Please note that free lithium does not occur in nature so the reaction isn't quite this trivial:
2 Li + H2 -> 2 LiH​
in which each lithium atom donates an electron to the corresponding hydrogen atom, becoming (for descriptive purposes):
2( Li+ + H- )​
which are ionically bonded as 2 LiH.
Hope this is helpful!
 

Similar threads

Graduate How do we know the mass of an electron?
  • · Replies 28 ·
Replies
28
Views
5K
Graduate Electron in orbit of around a single proton
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Graduate How is the energy of an electron lost in a classical hydrogen atom?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Undergrad Two hydrogen atoms and Pauli's exclusion principle
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
4K
Undergrad Amount of electrons in nuclei
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
What is the definition of the dalton (Da) unit?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
Undergrad What happens when a proton and an electron collide?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
High School Are Electrons & Protons Oriented in Stars Like Other Objects?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
High School Beta Plus Decay: What's Left for the Electron?
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
High School How is surface charge accumulated?
  • · Replies 36 ·
2
Replies
36
Views
7K