What made H2 molecules so small? Big Bang Theory

Summary

Astronomers use the big bang theory to explain how the universe came into being. The big bang is how the universe got its start. The small size of hydrogen atoms and molecules can be traced back to the Big Bang theory. According to the theory, the universe originated from a hot and dense state following the Big Bang. During this event, elements like hydrogen and helium were created.

H2, or hydrogen, is considered an important commodity today for several reasons. Firstly, it is a clean and renewable source of energy, which means it produces minimal greenhouse gas emissions when used as a fuel. This characteristic makes it valuable in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and addressing climate change concerns.

Additionally, hydrogen can be used for a wide range of applications, including transportation, electricity generation, industrial processes, and heating. Its versatility makes it potentially useful in various sectors, contributing to energy diversification and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

However, there are indeed significant challenges associated with commercializing hydrogen. Cost is one of the main barriers as producing and distributing hydrogen can be expensive compared to other energy sources. This cost-effectiveness issue needs to be addressed to make it financially viable on a large scale.

Safety is another concern as hydrogen is highly flammable and requires proper handling and storage infrastructure. Ensuring the safe transportation, storage, and use of hydrogen is crucial to minimize the risk of accidents or explosions.

Moreover, establishing a comprehensive infrastructure for hydrogen production, storage, and distribution is a significant challenge. The current lack of hydrogen refueling stations, for example, limits the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

To overcome these challenges and pave the way for hydrogen as a real source of renewable energy, ongoing research and development efforts are focused on technological advancements, cost reduction, safety measures, and infrastructure development. These endeavors aim to make hydrogen more accessible, economical, and safe, ultimately facilitating its commercialization and incorporation into the global energy mix.

What does work behind H2’s positive and negative properties?

The small molecular size of hydrogen does play a role in both its positive and negative properties.

The small mass and size of hydrogen molecules contribute to its high specific heat capacity, which means they can absorb and store a large amount of heat energy per unit mass. This property makes hydrogen useful for applications that require high energy storage, such as fuel cells or energy systems that demand a high power-to-weight ratio.

However, the small size of hydrogen molecules also poses challenges in terms of density and storage. Hydrogen has a low density compared to other fuels, which means it occupies more space for the same energy content. This low density makes it difficult to store and transport hydrogen efficiently, as it requires either high-pressure tanks or cryogenic temperatures to achieve reasonable energy densities. These storage requirements add complexity and cost to hydrogen infrastructure development.

Additionally, the small molecular size of hydrogen makes it prone to leakage issues. Being the smallest molecule, hydrogen is able to permeate through certain materials, potentially leading to safety concerns and loss of fuel.

Therefore, while the small molecular size of hydrogen contributes to its beneficial properties like high specific heat capacity, it also gives rise to challenges related to density and storage. Addressing these challenges is crucial for the successful commercialization of hydrogen as a renewable energy source.

Big Bang Theory

The small size of hydrogen atoms and molecules can be traced back to the Big Bang theory. According to the theory, the universe originated from a hot and dense state following the Big Bang. During this event, elements like hydrogen and helium were created.

Hydrogen, being the simplest and lightest element, was formed when protons and electrons combined in the extremely high temperatures of the early universe. This process gave rise to the tiny size of hydrogen atoms, which consists of a single proton at its nucleus and a single electron orbiting around it.

The small size of hydrogen molecules is a result of the covalent bonding between two hydrogen atoms. When hydrogen atoms bond together, they share their electrons to form a stable molecular structure. The shared electrons form a single bond, resulting in a small and compact molecular arrangement.

So, the small size of hydrogen atoms and molecules can indeed be attributed to the Big Bang theory and the conditions that prevailed during the early stages of the universe.

Detail

What is Big Bang?

Astronomers use the big bang theory to explain how the universe came into being. The big bang is how the universe got its start.

There were only hot, tiny particles and light and energy at the beginning of the universe. Nothing compared to what we see today.

It cooled down as everything grew and occupied more space. To reach its current size, the universe had to expand and stretch, and it is still doing so. The minute particles gathered. They developed atoms. These atoms then formed groups. Atoms joined together over a long period of time to create stars and galaxies. Larger atoms and groups of atoms were produced by the first stars. More stars were born as a result of that. Galaxies were merging and colliding at the same time. As new stars formed and then died, asteroids, comets, planets, and black holes emerged.

What followed Big Bang? How is Hydrogen got created?

The hydrogen atom is believed to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, which occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago. During the initial stages of the universe's expansion, the temperatures were extremely high, and subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons, and electrons were free to move around.

As the universe cooled down, protons and neutrons began to combine to form atomic nuclei, primarily helium-4. However, the universe was still too hot and dense for electrons to stably bind with the nuclei. Eventually, when the universe cooled to about 3,000 Kelvin (approximately 2,700 degrees Celsius), a process known as recombination occurred.

During recombination, electrons combined with protons to form hydrogen atoms. This process happened when the universe was about 380,000 years old. The formation of hydrogen atoms marked the transition from a plasma state to a neutral gas state, allowing photons (light particles) to travel freely through space.

These hydrogen atoms formed the basis for the formation of structures in the early universe, eventually leading to the formation of stars, galaxies, and eventually, complex structures like planets. The abundance of hydrogen in the universe is a direct result of the formation of hydrogen atoms during the early stages of the universe's evolution.

Explanation

After the Big Bang, the early universe had a high temperature and energy density. In such conditions, protons and neutrons formed through a process known as nucleosynthesis. However, due to the extreme temperatures and energy levels, these protons had high kinetic energies and were constantly colliding with each other.

During this hot and dense period, the universe was essentially like a plasma, consisting of a collection of free protons, neutrons, and electrons. These particles were constantly interacting and colliding with each other. However, as the universe expanded and cooled down, the collisions became less frequent and intense.

At a certain point, when the temperature dropped to around 3,000 Kelvin, the universe became cool enough for a process called recombination to occur. During recombination, electrons started to combine with protons to form neutral hydrogen atoms. The neutral atoms did not possess the high kinetic energy of the previously free protons. They were not highly energetic, and their motion was no longer dominated by collisions.

During this process of recombination, each hydrogen atom picked up just one proton and one electron. This happened because the electrons combined with protons individually, one by one, forming stable atoms. Therefore, the formation of hydrogen atoms after the Big Bang resulted in each atom having one proton in its nucleus and one electron orbiting it. This is how Hydrogen atoms with an atomic mass one got created.

During the early universe, as the temperature dropped after the Big Bang, the proton-proton fusion reaction primarily produced helium. This reaction involved two protons coming together to form a deuterium nucleus (which contains one proton and one neutron) and subsequently merging with another proton to form a helium-4 nucleus (which contains two protons and two neutrons).

Hydrogen, on the other hand, did exist abundantly in the early universe, but it mainly remained as atomic hydrogen instead of undergoing fusion reactions to form helium. This is because the fusion of two protons to form deuterium and helium-4 requires extremely high temperatures and pressures, which were not prevalent at that point in time.

As the universe continued to expand and cool, nuclear fusion processes became less efficient, and the abundance of certain elements, like helium, remained relatively constant. This is often referred to as the "primordial abundance" of elements, which was established during the early stages of the universe's evolution.

Oxygen and Nitrogen

Oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N2) were not directly produced during the Big Bang. They are primarily products of stars.

During the life cycle of a star, once it reaches a certain stage in its evolution, it undergoes nuclear fusion reactions. In the case of heavier stars, these fusion reactions involve the synthesis of elements like oxygen and nitrogen.