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8.4: Hydrogen

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    Hydrogen Isotopes

    Elemental hydrogen exists primarily as the hydrogen-1 isotope, although hydrogen-2 and hydrogen-3 are also known. Some properties of these isotopes are given in Table \(\sf{\PageIndex{1}}\).

    Table \(\sf{\PageIndex{1}}\). Atomic properties of hydrogen isotopes. Adapted slightly from https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Book%3A_Chemistry_(Averill_and_Eldredge)/21%3A_Periodic_Trends_and_the_s-Block_Elements/21.2%3A_The_Chemistry_of_Hydrogen

      Protium Deuterium Tritium
    symbol \(\sf{^1_1H}\) \(\sf{^2_1H}\) or D \(\sf{^3_1H}\) or T
    neutrons 0 1 2
    mass (amu) 1.00783 2.0140 3.01605
    abundance (%) 99.9885 0.0115 ~10−17
    half-life (years) 12.32
    boiling point of X2 (K) 20.28 23.67 25
    melting point/boiling point of X2O (°C) 0.0/100.0 3.8/101.4 4.5/?
    Notable features NMR active with a spin of \(\sf{1/2}\) NMR active with a spin of \(\sf{1}\)  

    Contributors and Attributions

    Stephen Contakes, Westmont College


    8.4: Hydrogen is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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