What is the reasoning for the ratio of hydrogen atoms to oxygen per water molecule???
Hydrogen has 1 electron in its outer shell and requires 1 more to complete the shell. This shell can accommodate only 2 electrons. Oxygen has 2 electrons in the inner shell and 6 in the outer shell, this outer shell can take up to 8 electrons. Each hydrogen atom is looking for 1 electron to share with another atom and the oxygen atom is looking to share 2 electrons with another atom to that it can form a complete outer shell. To do this, 2 hydrogen atoms share 1 electron each with 1 oxygen atom so that they all have a complete outer shell by sharing electrons with each other. The result is H2O – Water. This is the way other molecules are formed to, H2 (Hydrogen gas) is formed when 2 hydrogen atoms share electrons with each other. Oxygen has O2 is formed when 2 oxygen atoms share 2 electrons each with each other.
