What is Hydrogen? - Origin / Meaning of the name Hydrogen
The name Hydrogen is derived from the Greek word 'hydros' meaning "water" and gennen meaning to "generate" as it forms water when exposed to Oxygen creating H₂O.

What is Hydrogen? Periodic Table Group and Classification of the Hydrogen Element
Elements can be classified based on their physical states (States of Matter) e.g. gas, solid or liquid. This element is a gas. Hydrogen is classified as an element in the 'Non-Metals' section which can be located in groups 14,15 and 16 of the Periodic Table. Non-metallic elements exist, at room temperature, in two of the three states of matter: gases (Oxygen, Hydrogen & Nitrogen) and solids (Carbon, Phosphorus, Sulfur and Selenium). For additional facts and information refer to Hydrogen Properties.

What is Hydrogen? - The Discovery of Hydrogen
Hydrogen was discovered by Henry Cavendish in 1776 although Paracelsus around 1500, Robert Boyle, and Joseph Priestley had observed its production by reacting strong acids with metals. The element hydrogen was first clearly recognized as a distinct substance by the English investigator Cavendish, who in 1766 obtained it in a pure state, and showed it to be different from the other inflammable airs or gases which had long been known. Cavendish described Hydrogen as "inflammable air".

Henry Cavendish (1731 - 1810)

Facts about the History of the Discovery of Hydrogen Element
Antoine Lavoisier gave the element its name and proved that water was made of hydrogen and oxygen.

Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier was famous for his care in quantitative experiments, for demonstrating the true nature of combustion and for introducing a system into the naming and grouping of chemical substances in 1787. Lavoisier was executed in 1794 during the French Revolution.

Antoine Lavoisier (1743 - 1794)

What is Hydrogen? - Occurrence of the Hydrogen Element

• Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe
• Makes up to 75% of normal matter by mass and over 90% by number of atoms
• Found in abundance in stars and giant gas planets
• Fourteen and a half times lighter than air
• The most common source for this element on earth is water which is composed two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen (H2O)

Abundance of Hydrogen
% in Universe 75%
% in Sun 75%
% in Meteorites 2.4%
% in Earth's Crust 0.15%
% in Oceans 11%
% in Humans 10%

Associated Uses of Hydrogen
Manufacture of Ammonia to produce fertilizers
Hydrogen balloons – only used for lifting weather instruments
Rocket Fuel
Hydrogen Fuel – Upgrading Fossil fuels
Production of methanol and hydrochloric acid
Hydrogen Bomb from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes

What is Hydrogen? - The Properties of the Hydrogen Element
Name of Element : Hydrogen
Symbol of Element : H
Atomic Number of Hydrogen : 1
Atomic Weight 1.0079
Melting Point: 259.14°C
Boiling Point: 252.87°C
Color of Hydrogen : Colourless

Hydrogen as on the Periodic Table
Check out Hydrogen on the Periodic Table which arranges each chemical element according to its atomic number, as based on the Periodic Law, so that chemical elements with similar properties are in the same column. Our Periodic Table is simple to use - just click on the symbol for Hydrogen as on the Periodic Table for additional information and for an instant comparison of the Atomic Weight, Melting Point, Boiling Point and Mass - G/cc with any other element. An invaluable source of facts and information as a Chemistry reference guide.

Other elements classified as non-metals
The other elements contained in this classification are as follows:

• Carbon
• Nitrogen
• Oxygen
• Phosphorus
• Sulfur
• Selenium

What is Hydrogen - IUPAC and the Modern Standardised Periodic Table
The Standardised Periodic Table in use today was agreed by the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry, IUPAC, in 1985 and now recognises more periods and elements than Dimitri  Mendeleev knew in his day but still all fitting into his concept of  the "Periodic Table" in which Hydrogen is just one element that can be found.

Learn about what is Hydrogen with these fast facts...
These articles contain facts and information relating to Hydrogen and each of the other elements including the Periodic Symbol,  group, classification, properties and atomic number which is often referred to as the Periodic Table Number. Test your knowledge of chemistry and the Periodic Table by completing the Element Symbols and Atomic Numbers on our Blank Periodic Table. Chemistry students will also find a helpful section on Chemical Formulas.