Why Can’t We Use Single Hydrogen (H) Directly?
Hydrogen (H) is the lightest and smallest element in the universe, found in Group 1 of the periodic table.
As a single atom, hydrogen possesses only one electron in its outer shell, making it extremely reactive and chemically unstable.
Because of this high reactivity, single hydrogen atoms do not exist freely in nature. Instead, they rapidly seek to bond with other atoms or with another hydrogen atom to achieve a more stable configuration.
In the natural world, hydrogen is almost always found as hydrogen gas (H₂), where two hydrogen atoms share their electrons to form a stable molecule, or as part of compounds like water (H₂O), methane (CH₄), and countless organic molecules.
When atomic hydrogen does react, it releases a significant amount of energy, often resulting in highly exothermic and sometimes dangerous reactions.
Due to this instability and extreme reactivity, atomic hydrogen is not suitable for direct use in biological systems. It cannot be safely dissolved in water or used in health applications.