ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hydrogen anion

Okay kiddo, listen up! Have you ever heard of atoms? They are tiny little things that make up everything in the world around us. Now, some of these atoms like to share their electrons with other atoms to form bonds. These bonds can create new things - like water or even air!

One type of bond is called an ionic bond. It happens when one atom gives an electron to another atom. This creates an electric charge. The atom that gave away its electron becomes positively charged, and the atom that took the electron becomes negatively charged.

When an atom of hydrogen gives away its electron, it becomes positively charged, and the electron becomes a hydrogen anion. An anion is just a fancy word for a negatively charged atom. The hydrogen anion has one extra electron compared to a regular hydrogen atom, which makes it negatively charged!

So, hydrogen anion is just a hydrogen atom that has lost one electron and has become negatively charged. This is important because it can create different chemical reactions when it interacts with other atoms.
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