Explain why a hydrogen atom can become either an ion or a part of a molecule

Hydrogen is
an element with atomic number 1. It has only one electron in its electron configuration that is
`1s^1` . The closest stable electron configuration for an atom with one electron is `1s^2` that
is the electron configuration of the noble gas helium.

When a hydrogen atom
loses an electron its electron configuration is `1s^0` . A hydrogen ion `H^+` cannot exist as
such due to the positive charge it carries. It immediately combines with any negatively charged
particles around it to form ionic bonds.

Hydrogen also forms covalent bonds
where a stable electron configuration of `1s^2` is achieved by the atom sharing an electron with
another atom. For example, two hydrogen atoms combine to form the gas `H_2` where the electrons
of each of the constituent atoms provide one electron so that the each atom has a stable
electron configuration.

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