Editing 2719: Hydrogen Isotopes

{{comic
| number    = 2719
| date      = January 2, 2023
| title     = Hydrogen Isotopes
| image     = hydrogen_isotopes_2x.png
| imagesize = 442x250px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Oops, All Neutrons is also known as Neutral Quadrium, Nydnonen, and Goth Tritium.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BREAK ROOM DE BROGLIE MICROWAVE USER. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{W|Hydrogen}} is the simplest of the chemical atoms, usually consisting of an electron 'orbiting' a single and unaccompanied proton. The comic depicts this, as well as other forms of hydrogen, in the [[2100: Models of the Atom general form]] of the Chadwick model ({{w|Discovery of the neutron#Proton–neutron model of the nucleus|or similar}}) of the atom. Starting with essentially factual figures, before moving into typical xkcd humour, the eight forms depicted are as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
! "Isotope"
! Real?
! Description
|-
|Hydrogen
|Yes
|Hydrogen-1 is the most common {{w|isotope}} of hydrogen, with one proton and one electron, shown with the electron orbiting the proton. It is also known as protium.
|-
|Deuterium
|Yes
|{{w|Deuterium}} is the second most common isotope of hydrogen, with one electron and both a neutron and proton in its nucleus. About one of every 6,760 hydrogen atoms in seawater is deuterium.
|-
|Tritium
|Yes
|{{w|Tritium}} is the third most common isotope of hydrogen, with one electron and a nucleus of one proton and two neutrons, for an atomic mass of about three {{w|Dalton (unit)|daltons}}. It is radioactive with a half-life of about twelve years, and is very rare (but not as rare as unbound "instant hydrogen" neutrons.)
|-
|Ium
|In a way
|This isotope depicts one electron orbiting around nothing. The name relates to the fact that the two heavier isotopes are named from a prefix designating the number of {{w|nucleons}} followed by the suffix "-ium", a naming scheme that is also used to identify newly detected (exotic/heavy) elements before they are given a proper name (for example, [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/de/worterbuch/englisch/unununium unununium for element 111]); this scheme is now applied to the case where there is literally nothing in the center. <br> While there is no physical reason for a single electron to circle around nothing, a free electron can perfectly well exist on its own, and may be described by a localized probability distribution ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_packet wave packet]) in much the same way as orbitals describe the bound states around a nucleus. In this sense, "ium" would be just another word for "free electron". 
|-
|Wheelium
|No
|This fictional form consists of a proton, electron, and neutron orbiting around nothing, shaped similarly to a wheel. The neutron would either bind to the proton, or much more likely, be {{w|Elastic_scattering#Nuclear particle physics|elastically scattered}} away.
|-
|Instant hydrogen (ready in 15 minutes)
|Yes, but rare
|This is just a single neutron. An unbound neutron will decay into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino, with a mean lifetime of about 14 min, 39.6 s (half-life = about 10 min, 11 s). The antineutrino will carry away momentum, while the proton and electron ''can'' form into a hydrogen atom. However, this [https://van.physics.illinois.edu/ask/listing/1207 only happens about four times in a million] (though the proton could also capture another electron). The name is likely a reference to "instant" meals (e.g. instant noodles) which are typically reduced in form for convenient storage, and can be simply reconstituted into their usable form.
|-
|Hydrogen (maximum strength)
|No
|This fictional isotope consists of a proton, an electron, and what appear to be at least 14 neutrons. This isotope's proton would not be bound to all the neutrons. It would immediately decay by {{w|Nuclear drip line|dripping}} most all of them away, producing immense amounts of energy, which may earn it the name of maximum strength. Alternatively, this entry is a reference to maximum strength medicine, which has the highest legal amount of the active substance, similarly to how this hydrogen has the highest possible amount of neutrons (even if for a very, very short amount of time). 

For comparison, the heaviest human-made isotope is {{w|Isotopes of hydrogen#Hydrogen-7|hydrogen-7 with a half-life of 652 yoctoseconds,}} as of when this cartoon was published.
|-, 
|Oops, All Neutrons
|Maybe
|This fictional form consists of four neutrons, a {{w|tetraneutron}}, with one orbiting around a group of three. The name is likely a reference to an American breakfast cereal called {{w|Cap'n Crunch#Variations|Oops! All Berries}}.

The title text provides three other names of this form: 1. "Neutral Quadrium": [https://www.yourdictionary.com/quadrium Quadrium] is a rare but real isotope of hydrogen consisting of one proton and three neutrons (the "quad-" prefix designating its four nucleons). The name "quadrium" may not be official; it appears in only a few places in the literature. (See also: "quadium" in ''{{w|The Mouse That Roared}}.'') The proton and electron in quadrium have both been replaced with neutrons, making this fictional atom neutral. 2. "Nydnonen" is likely a derivation of "hydrogen" with three of its consonants replaced with the letter 'n' so it has four of them representing the four neutrons. 3. "Goth Tritium": All the particles in the depiction are black, resembling stereotypical {{w|gothic fashion}}, and in the same configuration as the particles of tritium.
|}

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==Transcript==
:[Eight drawings of different versions of hydrogen atoms are shown. They are arranged in two rows of four. The depictions use the planetary model version with for instance a negative electron (with a "-" written inside a small circle) orbiting a positive proton (with a "+" written inside a larger circle) and a black neutron depicted as a circle of the same size as the neutron, as in the second atom - Deuterium. Each has a label underneath. Here, they are listed in reading order:]
:[An electron orbiting a proton:] 
:Hydrogen

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with a neutron:] 
:Deuterium

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with two neutrons, so they form a triangle:] 
:Tritium

:[An electron orbiting nothing:]
:Ium

:[An electron a proton and a neutron all orbiting on the same circle around nothing. They are placed equidistant from each other forming a large triangle:]
:Wheelium

:[A single neutron:] 
:Instant Hydrogen (ready in 15 minutes)

:[An electron orbiting a proton connected with many neutrons, 13 visible with six  touching the proton which are in front. Four more are close to those six and mostly shown and then three are only just visible behind the others. Looking closely there are also two smaller dots near the edge indicating at least two more, for 15 that can be seen. And several more would be behind the visible neutrons if this forms a spherical shape. The electrons orbit just barely goes around the outer neutrons:] 
:Hydrogen (maximum strength)

:[Four neutrons arranged like the particles in Tritium with a neutron orbiting a triangle of neutrons.]
:Oops, all neutrons

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]