Dihydrogen cation

The dihydrogen cation or hydrogen molecular ion is a cation (positive ion) with formula H+2. It consists of two hydrogen nuclei (protons) sharing a single electron. It is the simplest molecular ion. The dihydrogen cation or hydrogen molecular ion is a cation (positive ion) with formula H+2. It consists of two hydrogen nuclei (protons) sharing a single electron. It is the simplest molecular ion. The ion can be formed from the ionization of a neutral hydrogen molecule H2. It is commonly formed in molecular clouds in space, by the action of cosmic rays. The dihydrogen cation is of great historical and theoretical interest because, having only one electron, the equations of quantum mechanics that describe its structure can be solved in a relatively straightforward way. The first such solution was derived by Ø. Burrau in 1927, just one year after the wave theory of quantum mechanics was published. Bonding in H+2 can be described as a covalent one-electron bond, which has a formal bond order of one half.