Hydrogen

Hydrogen is found in combination with oxygen in water, but it is also present in organic matter such as living plants, petroleum, or coal.

What is hydrogen?

Hydrogen is the simplest and lightest element known to exist, with only one proton and one electron per atom. It is the most abundant element in the universe, and is the source of the energy we receive from the sun. This radiant energy from the sun is important because it provides light and heat, and make plants grow. On earth, hydrogen is only found in compound form such as with oxygen to form water and with carbon to form compounds such as methane, coal, and petroleum. At room temperature, it is a transparent, highly flammable gas.

How is hydrogen fuel made?

Since hydrogen fuel is not found naturally on earth, it must be manufactured. Hydrogen fuel is a byproduct of chemically-mixing hydrogen/oxygen to produce electricity, water, and heat. It is stored in a "cell" or battery. Today, hydrogen is primarily transported short distances via pipeline. Longer distances require tanker trucks for distribution.

History of hydrogen

Hydrogen was discovered in 1766 by English chemist and physicist Henry Cavendish. It was named in 1788 by French chemist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier from the Greek words for "water-former." In 1783, Jacques Alexander Cesar Charles, a French physicist, launched the first hydrogen balloon flight. In the 1950's, NASA began experiementing with hydrogen fule cells. Today, there is ongoing research and development to make hydrogen more widely used. See timeline.

Uses for hydrogen

Most hydrogen is used for refining, treating metals and food processing. It is used in the petroleum industry to refine crude oil. In the food industry, it is used to hydrogenate oils or fats, which makes margarine from liquid vegetable oil. It is also used for cooling rotors in electrical power generators because of its high thermal conductivity. It's main use as a fuel is for rocket propulsion.

Demand for hydrogen

Many experts believe hydrogen is an important energy resource for the future since it is clean, abundant, and can be produced from a variety of resources. However, new systems must be designed and built before significant contributions of hydrogen can be used, which is costly.

Hydrogen pros and cons

Pros

• Abundant supply
• Water vapor emissions only
• Excellent industrial safety record

Cons

• More expensive to produce than fossil fuel systems
• Currently uses large amounts of fossil fuels in the hydrogen extraction process
• Storage/fuel cell technology still being developed

More hydrogen resources

Energy Kids Page - Illustrates how hydrogen works, how it is made, and how it is used.

National Hydrogen Association - Download hydrogen fact sheets, view frequently asked questions, and explore the basics on hydrogen properties.