Why hydrogen does not contain neutron

Q: How is hydrogen stable without a neutron?

Hydrogen( 1 H) does not have neutrons but only one protonas it is is stable because there is no interaction attempting to blow the nucleus apart. In Deuterium ( 2 H) there is one neutron and one proton so the nucleus doesnt blow apart because of weak interactions.

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Is there an atom that does not have neutrons?

There is only one stable atom that does not have neutrons. It is an isotope of the element hydrogen called protium. Protium, which contains a single proton and a single electron, is the simplest atom. All other stable atoms contain some number of neutrons.

Author:

Steve Gagnon, Science Education Specialist (Other answers by Steve Gagnon)

Answer

Verified

Hint:We must remember that an atom is a very small component of an element, which has the chemical properties of the element. The word atom means indivisible, atomos in Greek. Democritus, a Greek philosopher, first used the word atomos. Atom is made up of three main particles called neutrons, protons and electrons.

Complete step by step answer:
We must remember that an atom consists of neutrons, protons and electrons, in these, protons and electrons are charged particles, protons are positively charged due to protons and electrons are negatively charged but neutrons are neutral particles. We must remember that the protons and neutrons are in the nucleus whereas electrons are revolving around the nucleus in an atom. Atoms have atomic numbers and atomic mass. Atomic number is the number of protons or electrons and atomic mass is the sum of protons or electrons and neutrons.
Let us see the given options to seek out the correct options.
Option a. Deuterium
We need to remember that the deuterium is an isotope (same atomic number but different atomic mass) of hydrogen. Deuterium atomic number is one and the atomic mass is two, contains one proton and one neutron. So this is not the simplest atom. Therefore, the option A is incorrect.
Now we discuss about the option B as, Tritium
We need to know that another isotope of hydrogen is tritium (chemical symbol is ). Tritium atomic mass is three, indicates two neutrons and one proton. Tritium contains neutrons. Hence, this is not the right option.
Option c. Hydrogen
As we know that hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table. Hydrogen atomic number is one and also atomic mass is one. Hydrogen atomic mass one shows that hydrogen contains only protons. So hydrogen is the simplest atom.
Option d. Helium
Helium atomic number is two and atomic mass is four suggest that helium has two neutrons. So helium is not the simplest atom.
From the above discussions, we can conclude that hydrogen is the simplest atom and does not contain neutrons.
So, Option c. Hydrogen is the correct option.

Note:
We have to remember that if we add or remove the proton from the nucleus of an atom changes the atomic number and also changes properties. But removing or adding a neutron does not change the atomic number but sometimes it creates isotopes. But adding or removing the protons or neutrons from the nucleus is not an easy process.

Neither Here nor There

Neutrons are the particles in an atom that have a neutral charge. They aren't positive like protons. They aren't negative like electrons. But don't start thinking that they aren't important. Every piece of an atom has huge importance to the way the atom acts and behaves. Neutrons are no exception.

So, if an atom has equal numbers of electrons and protons, the charges cancel each other out and the atom has a neutral charge. You could add a thousand neutrons into the mix and the charge would not change. However, if you add a thousand neutrons, you will be creating one super-radioactive atom. Neutrons play a major role in the mass and radioactive properties of atoms. You may have read the page on isotopes. Isotopes are created when you change the normal number of neutrons in an atom.

Inside the Nucleus

You know that neutrons are found in the nucleus of an atom. Under normal conditions, protons and neutrons stick together in the nucleus. During radioactive decay, they may be knocked out of there. Neutron numbers are able to change the mass of atoms, because they weigh about as much as a proton and electron together. If there are many atoms of an element that are isotopes, the average atomic mass for that element will change. We have spoken about carbon (C) having an average mass of 12.01. It's not much different than you would expect from an atom with 6 protons and 6 neutrons. The number of carbon isotopes doesn't change the atomic mass very much. As you move higher in the periodic table, you will find elements with many more isotopes.

One Special Element

Did we say that all atoms have neutrons? Oops. All elements have atoms with neutrons except for one. A normal hydrogen (H) atom does not have any neutrons in its tiny nucleus. That tiny little atom (the tiniest of all) has only one electron and one proton. You can take away the electron and make an ion, but you can't take away any neutrons. Hydrogen's special structure becomes very important when you learn how hydrogen interacts with other elements in the periodic table. If you learn about nuclear fusion you will learn about deuterium and tritium. Deuterium is a hydrogen atom with an extra neutron and tritium has two extra. You won't find much deuterium in your backyard. It's mainly in oceans. Don't worry if you do find it, it's not radioactive. It's a stable isotope.

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Why do hydrogen do not have neutron?

unlike other elements, hydrogen, which has just one proton, does not require any neutrons to be stable. In all other elements, which all have multiple protons, stable nuclei are only formed if neutrons (which have no net charge) are present in the nucleus.

Can hydrogen have neutrons?

Hydrogen has no neutron, deuterium has one, and tritium has two neutrons. The isotopes of hydrogen have, respectively, mass numbers of one, two, and three. Their nuclear symbols are therefore ¹H, ²H, and ³H. The atoms of these isotopes have one electron to balance the charge of the one proton.

Which hydrogen does not contain neutron?

1H1 does not have a neutron. It is called protium or ordinary hydrogen.

How is hydrogen stable without a neutron?

Hydrogen( ¹ H) does not have neutrons but only one protonas it is is stable because there is no interaction attempting to blow the nucleus apart. In Deuterium ( ² H) there is one neutron and one proton so the nucleus doesn't blow apart because of weak interactions.