Hydrogen gas is an element with an atomic number of 1. It is represented by the symbol H. The atomic weight of hydrogen is about 1.00794u and that makes the hydrogen atom the lightest element. Hydrogen gas was first artificially produced by T Von Hohenheim (or Paracelsus as he was popularly known) by mixing some metals with strong acids. Of course he was unaware that the produced flammable gas was a new element. In 1766, Henry Cavendish identified hydrogen as a separate element. He was also the first to note that burning this gas produces water. In this article we will see how to create and store hydrogen. This hydrogen making technique will involve chemical reactions between NaOH (Sodium Hyrdoxide) and Al (Aluminum) and H2O (water)
Ingredients required:
- Crystals used for cleaning clogged drains (Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH))
- everyday use aluminum foil
- a glass bottle
- balloons
- source of fire
- a bucket of water
- safety gloves
- safety googles
- safety clothes
Method:
First step to making hydrogen is to set up a reaction chamber. We will be using the glass bottle for this purpose. Before starting make sure you are wearing all the safety equipment. This process is extremely dangerous and shouldn’t be carried out by kids. Make sure you are in an open and well ventilated area. Now to begin. Pour about 2 tablespoons of drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide) into the glass bottle. Get a reasonably long piece of aluminum foil. Fold this foil into a long bar. Now squeeze this bar of aluminum into the bottle. It is okay if the foil is not touching the NaOH as it is bound to fall in eventually. If the foil gets to the bottom of the bottle too fast then the reaction would be too vigorous and dangerous anyway.
Now slowly and carefully pour some water into the bottle. Fill it to about 1/3rd its capacity. Now move away and wait for a bit. The reaction should start within a few seconds. Keep away from the bottle at this point of time. This reaction is extremely exothermic (that is produces a lot of heat) and will bring the water to almost the boiling point within moments. If this reaction gets too hot then the water will evaporate and you will get only steam (which is not what we wanted). To slow down the speed of reaction either place the bottle inside another container filled with water or spray the sides of the bottle with cool water. If, on the other hand, the reaction is too slow and doing nothing, then you will need to add more sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and aluminum the next time.
To collect the hydrogen created from this reaction strap a balloon to the mouth of the bottle as soon as you pour in the water. If done right, the balloon will be lighter than air, else you just collected steam. To remove the balloon wait for the reaction to stop and then pluck it off. Make sure you wear gloves as this process can be dangerous. Hydrogen is extremely flammable and hence you should take double precautions.
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It is manufactured industrially by either electrolysis, of water, steam, reformation, of hydrocarbons or partial oxidation of coal or
hydrocarbons.