Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe. Stars are composed mostly of hydrogen and it is this gas that is used in the fusion reaction that produces the heat and light from a star. Hydrogen forms molecules of two hydrogen atoms and this means it has the formula H2. (The 2 should appear as a subscript.) Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe. Stars are composed mostly of hydrogen and it is this gas that is used in the fusion reaction that produces the heat and light from a star. Hydrogen was used in dirigibles because it has great lifting power. The German dirigible the Hindenburg had hydrogen gas in it and it exploded into flames in New Jersey (May 6, 1937). It was thought that a spark caused the explosion. The rapid burning of the dirigible was once thought to be mostly a result of the hydrogen gas, but recent theories include the idea that the materials that the dirigible used in construction and especially in the painting of the covering may have played a great part of the disaster. We have been greatly interested in hydrogen recently as a possible fuel for cars and other devices.

Anything that burns and produces a bluish flame has some hydrogen in it's formula. Natural gas on a gas stove burns with a blue flame, the butane in a lighter burns with a flue flame and both have hydrogen in their formulas. A blue flame is an indicator of a very hot flame and stars with a blue color are very hot stars. Some stars are red in color and some of these are very large. They also have hydrogen gas in them, but are now using a lot of helium in the process. Our sun will someday turn into a red giant star. Fortunately this will be many millions of years from now.

The formula for water is H2O which means that it has two atoms of hydrogen for every atom of oxygen. The formula for hydrogen peroxide is H2O2 and it is somewhat unstable. It breaks down into water and oxygen upon contact with blood or even by sunlight. For this reason hydrogen peroxide that we may keep in our medicine cabinet is kept in a brown bottle to restrict the amount of light that penetrates the bottle. When hydrogen peroxide is poured on to a cut and touches blood, components in the blood cause the release of the extra oxygen atom. Oxygen gas can kill bacteria and help clean a wound. The bubbling action has a tendency to lift dirt out of a wound.

Once the hydrogen breaks down and releases an oxygen atom, that oxygen atom will combine as quickly as possible with some other atom or molecule, If it binds with a bacterial it kills the bacteria, if it binds with another oxygen atom it then forms an oxygen molecule. We now use helium in dirigible because it is significantly safer to use. In fact it is so non-reactive that it does not even combine with itself. Helium is one of the inert gases.

There are many other articles on Associated Content about the uses of hydrogen peroxide and about the future use of hydrogen in transportation devices. In science classes we would sometimes use hydrogen peroxide. The solution in a typical bottle has a low percentage of H2O2 (about 3%). It is probably not a good idea to purchase a lot of hydrogen peroxide when it is on sale, because you may simply have water when you go to use it. When you open the cap any oxygen will guickly escape. (Be careful, no flames around the bottle as you open it, remember that oxygen supports combustion and a flame near the bottle as it is opened could burst into a larger flame.) Science teachers sometimes use oxygen to demonstrate how a glowing spinter will burst into flames. Usually we would use a different source for the oxygen however.