Long-debated Question of The Nascent Hydrogen
Since the mid-19th century the existence of true nascent hydrogen was repeatedly challenged. It was assumed by the supporters of this theory that before that two hydrogen atoms can recombine into a more stable H2 molecule, the labile H· free radicals are more reactive than molecular H2, a relatively weak reductant in the absence of metal catalyst. Nascent hydrogen was supposed to be responsible of the reduction of arsenate or nitrate in arsine or ammonia respectively. Nowadays, isotopic evidences have closed the nascent hydrogen debate, presently considered as a Gedanken artifact of romanticism.
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