Question

When two hydrogen atoms fuse with one oxygen atom to create a molecule of water, each hydrogen atom donates its single electron to the oxygen atom, resulting in 10 electrons for the oxygen, instead of eight. But if the hydrogen atom no longer has its sole electron, is it still a hydrogen atom. Are we saying that there are some hydrogen atoms out there with zero electrons and some others with one electron? Is that allowed?

Answer 1

In the formation of a water molecule (H2O), two hydrogen atoms form covalent bonds with an oxygen atom by sharing their electrons, maintaining a stable electron count for both types of atoms without the hydrogen atoms losing their sole electron.

Step-by-step explanation:

When two hydrogen atoms fuse with one oxygen atom to create a molecule of water, what actually happens is that they form covalent bonds where electrons are shared rather than donated. Each hydrogen atom still retains its identity as a hydrogen atom because it has not lost its electron; it is simply sharing the electron with the oxygen atom. At no point does the hydrogen atom have zero electrons.

The hydrogen and oxygen atoms are bound together by covalent bonds, with hydrogen achieving a full outer shell by sharing its single electron and oxygen achieving a total of eight valence electrons in its outer shell, as per the octet rule. This stability is the reason atoms form bonds, such as in water (H2O), where the stable arrangement of a full outer shell for each atom is achieved through the sharing of electrons.