Binary compounds of hydrogen are

binary Binary may refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * Binary number, a representation of numbers using only two digits (0 and 1) * Binary function, a function that takes two arguments * Binary operation, a mathematical operation that t ...

chemical compounds A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

containing just

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

and one other

chemical element A chemical element is a species of atoms that have a given number of protons in their nuclei, including the pure substance consisting only of that species. Unlike chemical compounds, chemical elements cannot be broken down into simpler sub ...

. By convention all binary hydrogen compounds are called

hydride In chemistry, a hydride is formally the anion of hydrogen( H−). The term is applied loosely. At one extreme, all compounds containing covalently bound H atoms are called hydrides: water (H2O) is a hydride of oxygen, ammonia is a hydride of ...

s even when the hydrogen atom in it is not an

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

. These hydrogen compounds can be grouped into several types.

Overview

Binary hydrogen compounds in

group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group On ...

are the ionic hydrides (also called saline hydrides) wherein hydrogen is bound electrostatically. Because hydrogen is located somewhat centrally in an electronegative sense, it is necessary for the counterion to be exceptionally electropositive for the hydride to possibly be accurately described as truly behaving ionic. Therefore, this category of hydrides contains only a few members. Hydrides in

group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 * Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...

are polymeric covalent hydrides. In these, hydrogen forms bridging covalent bonds, usually possessing mediocre degrees of ionic character, which make them difficult to be accurately described as either covalent or ionic. The one exception is

beryllium hydride Beryllium hydride (systematically named poly eryllane(2)and beryllium dihydride) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula ()''n'' (also written ()''n'' or ). This alkaline earth hydride is a colourless solid that is insoluble in solv ...

, which has definitively covalent properties. Hydrides in the

transition metal In chemistry, a transition metal (or transition element) is a chemical element in the d-block of the periodic table (groups 3 to 12), though the elements of group 12 (and less often group 3) are sometimes excluded. They are the elements that can ...

s and

lanthanides The lanthanide () or lanthanoid () series of chemical elements comprises the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers 57–71, from lanthanum through lutetium. These elements, along with the chemically similar elements scandium and yttr ...

are also typically polymeric covalent hydrides. However, they usually possess only weak degrees of ionic character. Usually, these hydrides rapidly decompose into their component elements at ambient conditions. The results consist of metallic matrices with dissolved, often stoichiometric or near so, concentrations of hydrogen, ranging from negligible to substantial. Such a solid can be thought of as a

solid solution A solid solution, a term popularly used for metals, is a homogenous mixture of two different kinds of atoms in solid state and have a single crystal structure. Many examples can be found in metallurgy, geology, and solid-state chemistry. The word ...

and is alternately termed a metallic- or interstitial hydride. These decomposed solids are identifiable by their ability to conduct electricity and their magnetic properties (the presence of hydrogen is coupled with the delocalisation of the valence electrons of the metal), and their lowered density compared to the metal. Both the saline hydrides and the polymeric covalent hydrides typically react strongly with water and air. It is possible to produce a metallic hydride without requiring decomposition as a necessary step. If a sample of bulk metal is subjected to any one of numerous hydrogen absorption techniques, the characteristics, such as luster and hardness of the metal is often retained to a large degree. Bulk

actinoid The actinide () or actinoid () series encompasses the 15 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers from 89 to 103, actinium through lawrencium. The actinide series derives its name from the first element in the series, actinium. The inform ...

hydrides are only known in this form. The affinity for hydrogen for most of the

d-block A block of the periodic table is a set of elements unified by the atomic orbitals their valence electrons or vacancies lie in. The term appears to have been first used by Charles Janet. Each block is named after its characteristic orbital: s-bloc ...

elements are low. Therefore, elements in this block do not form hydrides (the hydride gap) under

standard temperature and pressure Standard temperature and pressure (STP) are standard sets of conditions for experimental measurements to be established to allow comparisons to be made between different sets of data. The most used standards are those of the International Union o ...

with the notable exception of

palladium Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself na ...

. Palladium can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen and is therefore actively researched in the field

hydrogen storage Hydrogen storage can be accomplished by several existing methods of holding hydrogen for later use. These include mechanical approaches such as using high pressures and low temperatures, or employing chemical compounds that release H2 upon demand ...

. Elements in group 13 to 17 (

p-block A block of the periodic table is a set of elements unified by the atomic orbitals their valence electrons or vacancies lie in. The term appears to have been first used by Charles Janet. Each block is named after its characteristic orbital: s-blo ...

) form

covalent A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms ...

hydrides (or nonmetal hydrides). In group 12 zinc hydride is a common chemical reagent but

cadmium hydride Cadmium hydride (systematically named cadmium dihydride) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula (also written as or ). It is a solid, known only as a thermally unstable, insoluble white powder. Nomenclature The systematic name '' ...

and

mercury hydride Mercury hydride may refer to: * Mercury(I) hydride (HgH or Hg2H2), an extremely unstable gas * Mercury(II) hydride (HgH2), a volatile, relatively stable white solid {{Short pages monitor