Hello there! As a chemistry enthusiast and a bit of a science communicator, I'm always thrilled to delve into the fascinating world of atoms and molecules. Let's talk about hydrogen, the lightest element in the universe and the most abundant chemical substance in space. It's a cornerstone of our understanding of the cosmos and a fundamental building block of life as we know it.

Hydrogen is a simple element, with its most common isotope, protium, consisting of a single proton and one electron. The absence of a neutron in protium makes it the lightest isotope of hydrogen and, by extension, the lightest element on the periodic table. But how much does an atom of hydrogen weigh?

To answer this, we need to understand the concept of atomic mass units (amu). The atomic mass unit is defined relative to carbon-12, where one twelfth of the mass of a carbon-12 atom is exactly 1 amu. This standardization allows us to compare the masses of different atoms on a common scale.

The atomic mass of hydrogen is approximately 1.008 amu. This value is derived from the fact that the most common isotope of hydrogen, protium, has a mass of 1.007276466812 amu. The presence of other isotopes, such as deuterium and tritium, in trace amounts affects the average atomic mass slightly.

Now, to find the mass of a single hydrogen atom, we can use Avogadro's number, which is approximately \(6.022 \times 10^{23}\) atoms per mole. This number is a fundamental constant in chemistry that relates the macroscopic scale of moles to the microscopic scale of individual atoms.

The calculation is straightforward: we take the atomic mass of hydrogen in grams per mole (1.008 grams) and divide it by Avogadro's number to find the mass of a single atom:

\[
\text{Mass of one hydrogen atom} = \frac{1.008 \text{ grams/mole Hydrogen}}{6.022 \times 10^{23} \text{ atoms/mole}}
\]

This calculation yields the mass of a single hydrogen atom to be approximately \(1.67 \times 10^{-24}\) grams. This is an incredibly small mass, so small that it's difficult to comprehend without the context of atomic and subatomic scales.

It's worth noting that this value is for the most common isotope of hydrogen, protium. If we were considering deuterium or tritium, the mass would be slightly different due to the presence of neutrons in their nuclei.

In summary, the mass of a single atom of hydrogen is incredibly light, a testament to its status as the lightest element. This tiny mass plays a crucial role in the chemistry of the universe, influencing everything from the formation of stars to the structure of DNA.

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This means that 1 MOLE of hydrogen atoms will weigh 1.008 grams. That said, to find the mass of one ATOM, we need to convert from moles to atoms as follows: 1.008 grams/mole Hydrogen * (1 mole/6.022x1023 atoms) = 1.67 x 10-24 grams.Mar 2, 2015read more >>