The diatomic elements, Also called homonuclear diatomic molecules, they are made up of just two atoms of the same chemical elements. Some elements cannot exist on their own, even when isolated from any other type of atom.
Elements of this nature will combine with atoms of the same element to be stable. In other words, hydrogen, a diatomic element, cannot be by itself. It cannot simply exist H.
Hydrogen is so reactive that when it is isolated from everything but hydrogen, it will combine into a diatomic (two-atom) molecule. Hence, hydrogen gas, which is sometimes used as fuel, exists as Htwo.
Diatomic molecules contain two atoms that are chemically bonded. If the two atoms are identical, as for example, the oxygen molecule (Otwo), composes a homonuclear diatomic molecule, whereas if the atoms are different, as in the carbon monoxide (CO) molecule, it forms a heteronuclear diatomic molecule.
Molecules that contain more than two atoms are called polyatomic molecules, for example, carbon dioxide (COtwo) and water (HtwoOR). Polymer molecules can contain many thousands of component atoms.
There are seven elements that make up diatomic molecules. The following 5 element gases are found as diatomic molecules at room temperature and pressure:
-Hydrogen - Htwo
-Nitrogen - Ntwo
-Oxygen - Otwo
-Fluoride - Ftwo
-Chlorine - Cltwo
Bromine and iodine commonly exist in liquid form, but also as diatomic gases at slightly higher temperatures, making a total of 7 diatomic elements..
-Bromine - Brtwo
-Iodine - Itwo
Diatomic elements are halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine) and elements with a -gen ending (hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen). Astatin is another halogen, but its behavior is unknown.
All diatomic molecules are linear, which is the simplest spatial arrangement of atoms.
It is convenient and common to represent a diatomic molecule as two point masses (the two atoms) connected by a massless spring..
The energies involved in the movements of the molecule can be divided into three categories:
All diatomic elements are gases at room temperature with the exception of bromine and iodine, which are liquid (iodine can even be in the solid state), and all with the exception of oxygen and nitrogen are linked by a single bond..
The oxygen molecule has its two atoms joined by a double bond and the nitrogen molecule by a triple bond.
Hydrogen (Htwo), with an atomic number of 1, is a colorless gas that was not formally discovered as an element by Henry Cavendish until 1766, but was accidentally found about a hundred years earlier by Robert Boyle.
It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic gas that exists naturally in our Universe. Being the first element in the periodic table, hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant of all the chemical elements in the universe since it makes up 75% of its mass..
Nitrogen (Ntwo) has an atomic number of seven and constitutes about 78.05% of the Earth's atmosphere by volume.
It is an odorless, colorless, and mostly inert gas, and it remains colorless and odorless in a liquid state..
Oxygen (Otwo) has an atomic number of eight. This colorless, odorless gas has eight protons in its nucleus and is pale blue in its liquid and solid states..
One fifth of the Earth's atmosphere is made up of oxygen and it is the third most abundant element in the universe by mass..
Oxygen is the most abundant element by mass in the Earth's biosphere. The high concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is the result of the Earth's oxygen cycle, which is predominantly driven by photosynthesis in plants..
Fluorine (Ftwo) has an atomic number of nine, and is the most reactive and electronegative of all the elements. This non-metallic element is a pale yellow gas that is a member of the halogen group.
George Gore was apparently the first scientist to isolate fluorine, but his experiment exploded when the fluorine that was produced reacted with hydrogen..
In 1906, Ferdinand Frederic Henri Moissan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the isolation of fluorine in 1886. It is the most electronegative element on the periodic table..
Chlorine (Cltwo) is a member of the halogen group with an atomic number of seventeen. One of its forms, NaCl, has been in use since ancient times.
Chlorine has been in use for thousands of years in many other forms, but it was not named until 1810 by Sir Humphry Davy..
Chlorine in its pure form is yellowish green, but its common compounds are typically colorless..
Bromine (Brtwo) has an atomic number of thirty-five. It is a heavy dark brown liquid, the only non-metallic element that is a liquid.
Bromine was discovered by Antoine J. Balard in 1826. It was used for important purposes long before it was formally discovered..
Iodine (Itwo) has an atomic number of fifty-three, with fifty-three protons in the nucleus of an atom. It is a blue-black non-metal that plays a very important role in organic chemistry..
Iodine was discovered in 1811 by Barnard Courtois. He named it iodine from the Greek word "iodes" which means violet. It is a solid blue-black.
Iodine plays a very important role in the biology of all living organisms since its deficiency leads to diseases such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism.
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