Production and Uses

Production

It is rare to get pure hydrogen gas. Is it has to be made in the laboratory. Early chemists made hydrogen by reacting a metal with an acid. A typical example of this is zinc with hydrochloric acid. The balanced chemical equation of this is:-

Zn + 2 HCL ? ZnCl₂ + H2

Now hydrogen is prepared in the laboratory and in industry by electrolysis. In this process they pass electricity thought the water to break down the water molecules in to oxygen and hydrogen. The balanced chemical equation is:-

2 H₂O + electrical energy ? 2H₂ + O₂

This is not the only way to produce hydrogen. Other examples are, passing steam over heated carbon, decomposition of certain hydrocarbons with heat and the action of potassium hydroxide on aluminum

Uses

Hydrogen is used in many industrial chemical processes. One of the most important of these is the Haber process. This uses hydrogen to make ammonia (NH₃) which is important to make other products such as fertilizers and explosives. It is also used to make margarine and other such product, by hydrogenation. This is when hydrogen is added to liquid oils which then become solid fat.

More use of hydrogen include it use in superconductor reserched. It is used as liquid form to cool objects to extremely low temperatures as substance usually only become superconductors at very low temperatures. Another use for liquid hydrogen is as rocket fuel. Liquid hydrogen reacts with Liquid oxygen to produces energy

The isotopes of hydrogen are used in nuclear power plant. D₂O is used to slow the particles in a nuclear reactor. H₂O absorbs to many neutrons so allowing the reaction to go to fast. They are also used in nuclear weapons because the combine into helium and produces energy by nuclear fusion.

Many industries are trying to produces a hydrogen fuel cell to power vehicles and other energy related devices. This is done by reversing the electrolysis reaction.

2H₂ + O₂ ? 2H₂O + energy