9781422279472

Hydrogen: CHAPTER 1

Discovery and History

P hilosophers in ancient Greece theorized that every- thing in the world was made up of just four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. This theory persisted into the 18th century, when chemists in England and France finally proved that water and air could be broken down into several different elements, one of which, of course, was hydrogen. Hydrogen got its name from the Greek words, hydro (water) and genes (generator), because hydrogen forms water. Air on Fire Long before hydrogen got its name and place on the peri- odic table, scientists and alchemists had noted its existence. They had performed experiments that gave off hydrogen gas.

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