Science
Light-driven method puts notoriously reactive hydrogen atoms to work for chemical synthesis
Key Points
Hydrogen is the simplest element in the periodic table, consisting of just one proton and one electron. In chemistry, however, the smallest of atoms is anything but simple. First produced by Nobel laureate Irving Langmuir over a century ago, single hydrogen atoms (H•) are so reactive that they are almost impossible to prepare and use.
Hydrogen is the simplest element in the periodic table, consisting of just one proton and one electron. In chemistry, however, the smallest of atoms is anything but simple. First produced by Nobel laureate Irving Langmuir over a century ago, single hydrogen atoms (H•) are so reactive that they are almost impossible to prepare and use.