Engineers need to figure out how to store hydrogen safely and start to build places where people can fill up. For it to be useful, there are two major challenges. In the future, I think we will see increasing use of hydrogen as a fuel. Again, the only byproduct of the process is water. Hydrogen-powered trains are already in operation in Germany, and several international car manufacturers are developing fuel-cell powered cars. This current can power an electric motor placed in this circuit. This creates a flow of electricity between the sides of the cell when connected with an external circuit. The positively charged protons move over to the other side of the cell, leaving behind the negatively charged electrons. They do this by splitting the hydrogen gas into protons and electrons on one side of the fuel cell. Rather than burn the hydrogen, fuel cells convert it to electricity and are seen as the way of the future. Protons also are the key component of fuel cells. This is the symbol and electron diagram for hydrogen. The chemistry of these protons is also responsible for driving photosynthesis, the process whereby plants turn light energy into chemical energy, and powering many processes in the human body. Positively charged hydrogen atoms, called protons, having been stripped of their only electron, float around in these solutions and are the key component of acids. ![]() Hydrogen atoms also give things like lemon juice and vinegar their distinctive tart taste. This is actually a hard nut to crack and is something that will take time and many great minds to solve. Large numbers of scientists are trying to develop chemical compounds that safely hold and release hydrogen. There’s currently lots of research focused on solving the storage problem. ![]() However, a car with a tank of highly explosive hydrogen rocket fuel doesn’t sound like a safe bet. When stored under high pressure and very low temperature of -400 degrees Fahrenheit, hydrogen exists as a liquid, and its combustion with oxygen is used for propelling rockets into space. That’s refreshing when compared with a gasoline engine that produces climate change-inducing carbon dioxide and a range of other nasty gases. When burned in a controlled way, hydrogen offers the cleanest fuel, producing only water as the waste product. Taming the beast, however, could be the solution to the energy problems of the future. Isotopes of hydrogen: protium, deuterium and tritium.
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