Hydrogen_anion
Hydrogen anion
Negative ion of hydrogen
The hydrogen anion, H−, is a negative ion of hydrogen, that is, a hydrogen atom that has captured an extra electron. The hydrogen anion is an important constituent of the atmosphere of stars, such as the Sun. In chemistry, this ion is called hydride. The ion has two electrons bound by the electromagnetic force to a nucleus containing one proton.
The binding energy of H− equals the binding energy of an extra electron to a hydrogen atom, called electron affinity of hydrogen. It is measured to be 0.754195(19) eV or 0.0277161(62) hartree (see Electron affinity (data page)). The total ground state energy thus becomes −14.359888 eV.