Monatomic refers to individual, unbonded atoms, often gases, achievable at high temperatures. Noble gases are stable and have low reactivity, making them monatomic. Monatomic ions consist of one element, while polyatomic ions have two or more. Single atoms can have different properties than groups of atoms. Monatomic hydrogen is rare but could be used as fuel.
In chemistry, the term “monatomic” often refers to a state in which elements occur as individual atoms that are not bonded to other atoms. This mostly occurs with gases, and all elements can achieve this single-atom state at high enough temperatures. Each of the so-called noble gases – helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon – is of course a monatomic gas at standard temperature and pressure. The term has a slightly different meaning when it comes to ions, as monatomic ions consist of only one element, but each of these ions can contain several atoms of that single element. A related chemical term is diatomic, which refers to a molecule composed of two atoms that may be of the same element or of two different elements.
Elements rarely exist in a monatomic state, especially if they are not in the form of a gas. This is because atoms tend to clump together. In physical chemistry, this attraction between atoms and molecules is described in detail by the van der Waal force. Noble gases are made up of very stable atoms and have low chemical reactivity, which is why they can more easily exist in the monatomic state. These gases also share other characteristics, including the absence of color or odor.
Ions are either negatively charged particles, also called anions, or positively charged particles, also called cations. Polyatomic ions are made up of two or more elements. Monatomic ions consist of one element and there are two types of this type of ion. Type I are ions made up of a single element that always has the same charge in ionic form, forming cations or anions. Examples of this are silver and zinc ions. Type II ions also consist of a single element, but in ionic form these elements can form both anions and cations, as is the case with iron and copper.
The properties of a single atom of an element can be different from the properties of groups of atoms of that same element. Monatomic gold, for example, has a different color and different conductive properties than clusters of gold atoms. Hydrogen usually comes in the form of a gas, where two hydrogen atoms form a hydrogen molecule. Monatomic hydrogen is very rare and very unstable, but scientists believe it could be used as a powerful fuel, for example for space travel.
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