As the atoms first begin to interact, the attractive force is stronger than the repulsive force and so the potential energy of the system decreases, as seen in the diagram. If the hydrogen atoms move ...As the atoms first begin to interact, the attractive force is stronger than the repulsive force and so the potential energy of the system decreases, as seen in the diagram. If the hydrogen atoms move any closer together, a third interaction begins to dominate, and that is the repulsive force between the two positively-charged nuclei. The single electrons from each of the two hydrogen atoms are shared when the atoms come together to form a hydrogen molecule (H2).
