Quick Read
A hydrogen atom has one proton and one electron. Its edge is not a hard shell.
Learn More
Hydrogen is the simplest chemical element. The electron is described by a spread-out probability distribution, so an atom does not have a perfectly sharp diameter.
In Depth
The displayed extent is a provisional order-of-magnitude value. Atomic size depends on the definition and quantum state; it must be source-reviewed before publication.
Scale measurement
0.1 nm · effective diameter
Quick facts
- Category: atom
- Boundary: model-dependent
- Scientific review: pending
Related objects
- related-to: Water molecule