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Originally Posted by jbonham
OK, just a few more questions.. 
So, the Hydrogen atom, 1 proton and 1 electron: only the electron moves, and the proton does not move at all? Correct? That is how I understand it, the whole atom may move, but the proton does NOT move, only the electron. Correct?
A little off topic, but I also read that Hydrogen could be stored and delivered via the same pipelines as natural gas. To be used for the same purposes.
Is that true? Do you know where I can find out more about that information?
Thanks RobJim
jbonham |
Your first question is far more complex than it seems. It's almost a philosophical question in the field of Quantum Mechanics; is the electron really moving around or is it smeared over a region of space?
If we were to model it as a simple electron orbitting a proton, then the answer would be; both move, but the electron moves a lot more because it's less massive. This is what happens with the Moon orbitting the Earth, or the Earth orbitting the Sun. However the atom doesn't really work that way; it can't, because electrons are charged. If a charged object accelerates (and this includes changing direction from a straight path to a circular path), then it has to give off energy. The electron does not, so this can't be the right model.
I can't really give you a satisfactory answer to this, as my quantum mechanics skills aren't that great. I'd have to study up more to give you an answer, and it probably wouldn't be simple.
As far as the second question, it makes sense. Hydrogen is a gaseous, flammable fuel just like natural gas, so it makes sense that the same pipelines could be used for both, and they could be used in similar ways. I'd suggest some Google searching if you're really interested in the topic. I don't know much about it myself.