Hydrogen atom Hydrogen atom A hydrogen atom is an atom of the chemical element hydrogen. The electrically neutral atom contains a single positively charged proton and a single negatively charged electron bound to the nucleus by the Coulomb force. Atomic hydrogen constitutes about 75% of the baryonic mass of the universe. In everyday life on Earth, isolated hydrogen atoms (called "atomic hydrogen") are extremely rare. Instead, hydrogen tends to combine with other atoms in compounds, or with itself to form ordinary (diatomic) hydrogen gas, H. "Atomic hydrogen" and "hydrogen atom" in ordinary English use have overlapping, yet distinct, meanings. For example, a
Empire of the Atom bodily" from the plot of "I, Claudius". A genealogy chart of the ruling family of the Empire of Linn is included. Van Vogt based "Empire of the Atom" largely on the plot of "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves, putting it into a science-fictional setting. The work was originally presented as five novelettes published in "Astounding Science Fiction" between May 1946 and December 1947. Some time, a little over 10,000 years from now, a noblewoman gives birth to a deformed child, a consequence of having been accidentally exposed to radiation from one of the temples of the Atom Gods. The baby