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 |