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Hydrogen is Essential to Life
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 Hydrogen
It exists in many forms such as water or organic matter,which makes it hard to appreciate its existence in our daily life. However, it is one of the indispensable elements in all of existence.
If we go by the weight proportion in the human body, hydrogen is the third heaviest element (10%) after oxygen (65%) and carbon (18%). Moreover, oxygen, carbon and many other elements all contain hydrogen which is the reason why it is called the mother of elements. Hydrogen can also be found in the three nutrients: carbohydrate, protein and fats. In particular, carbohydrates (glucocorticoid) and fats can be transformed into energy, and hydrogen plays an important role when these nutrients are transformed into energy. |
Water is the source of life
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Most living organisms on earth are born in the sea. Some can survive on land because they can absorb water into their bodies. |
The origin of the word “hydrogen”
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“Hydrogen” comes from Green “hydro”(water) and “gennao” (made of). The Japanese for hydrogen is “水素”, meaning an element that combines with oxygen to form water. |
The most abundant element in the universe
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If we look at the whole universe, hydrogen is said to sake up 91%. In other words, most
of the universe is composed by hydrogen. |
Atomic number 1
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The atomic number of hydrogen is “1”. It has a simple construction of one proton and one electron, and it is the smallest element in the universe.
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Discovery of hydrogen
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In 1766, Henry Cavendish of Britain reported the nature of hydrogen in detail
in his thesis. Although he was recognized
as the one who discovered hydrogen, the term hydrogen was actually coined by Antoine
Lavoisier of France in 1779.
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