Uses of Element and its Compounds
Uses of Element:

Hydrogen as Energy:

  • Hydrogen is chemically linked to the carbohydrates consisting of carbon and oxygen that humans and plant-eating animals get from starchy foods and sugars in turn for energy (Nechampkin, 18).

  • Hydrogen is linked chemically to the natural gas or oil (carbon/hydrocarbons) that release energy to run our automobiles and power plants. (ie a power plant in New York uses Hydrogen to produce electricity) 

Now, you ask, why is Hydrogen often used as a fuel? WEll this is due to it's ability to produce heat when united with oxygen! (IEA)

Primary Energy Demand in 1997 Total 368 EJ.

Metallurgical:

  • Welding

Chemical:

  • Hydrogen is widely used as a reducing agent. This means Hydrogen can withdraw nonmetallic elements from metallic metals, leaving behind a pure metal (469). When Hydrogen is heated over tungsten trioxide, it removes the oxygen, unites with it and thus forms water. 

Food Industry:

  •  In the food industry, hydrogen is used in a process called hydrogenation to convert liquid vegetable oil in a solid such as margarine. Margarine is a healthier substitute to a type of animal fat, butter.

Transportation: 

  • Already space shuttles have been using liquid hydrogen to fuel space shuttles.
  • (Hydrogen fuels the main engine of the orbiter in the U.S. space shuttle mission.)
  • Hydrogen is now beginning to be put to use in experimental automobiles by engineers who are interested in news ways of fueling automobiles.
  •  

Uses of Hydrogen (IEA) Graph/Information

USE  Percentage of Use (%)
Manufacture of Ammonia 50
"Oil Refineries for Removal of impurities or for upgrading heavier oil fractions into lighter and more valuable products" (IEA) 37
Methanol Production 8
Chemical/Metallurical Uses 4
World's Space Programs 1

Main Commerical Uses Provided by: http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/H/uses.html

  • commercial fixation of nitrogen from the air in the Haber ammonia process
  • hydrogenation of fats and oils
  • methanol production, in hydrodealkylation, hydrocracking, and hydrodesulphurization
  • rocket fuel
  • welding
  • production of hydrochloric acid
  • reduction of metallic ores
  • for filling balloons (hydrogen gas much lighter than air; however it ignites easily)
  • liquid H2 is important in cryogenics and in the study of superconductivity since its melting point is only just above absolute zero

 

Photos of Hydrogen in Use

 

Important Compounds of the Element and Their Uses:

  •  H20 is by far the most important compound involving Hydrogen and the same is said about Oxygen. While the chemical compound of water is H2O, no water is ever 100% pure. Rain water, sea water, well water all have some other compound from the earth, dissolved gases or salts such as NH4NO3.

 

Formula of Compound Name of Compound Some Uses of Compound
H2S Hydrogen Sulfide  Hydrogen sulfide, although it has a strong odor of rotten eggs, it is used by chemists to produce other compounds and analyze the composition of mixtures. Hydrogen Sulfide is more often a nuisane than it's uses because it's odor is present among decaying organic matter, such as garbage and sewage. It is also common for H2S to be given off during the removal of tarnish from silver, the exhaust of cars and some buses and around some hot springs. Phew!
H2O2 Hydrogen Peroxide Rocket Propellant, Sterilize milk industry, Used as bleach in paper, wood pulp, textile and food industries, Used as Antiseptic, germicide and skin cleanser, Used to clean, etch and oxidize PCB and semiconductors/other metals and electronics
H2SO4 Sulfuric Acid Processing Metals- Cleaning/Pickling iron and steel bfore plating them with tin or zinc, Production of Fertilizers, Manufacture of chemicals in making nitric acid, HCl, synthetic detergents, explosives, dyes, pigments, drugs and sulfate salts. Refining Petroleum, The Making of Rayon
HCl Hydrochloric Acid or Hydrogen Chloride Just like Hydrogen Peroxide, HCl takes part in pickling/cleaning metals. Helps to digest food in the walls of the stomach where HCl is present, To separate cotton from wool, Manufacture of ammonium chloride, phosphoric acid, dies, pigments in paint, iron, steel,  Production of corn starch and glucose, Make solvents, chloride salts and bleaches, Neutralize soap refining, leather tanning, brewing, textiles, waste streams, Prevent bacteria in toilet bowls, Produces tin and tantalum, Used in making glue and gelatin, Acts as a starch modifier
HCN Hydrogen Cyanide Very Dangerous Compound that has been used in the past-WW1/nazi gas chambers to kill people, Used to make the base product, Acrylonitrile, for acrylic fibers, plastics, and synthetic rubbers, Commercially used as an insecticide and rodenticide, Used to make pharmaceuticals

 

 

 

More Pictures of Things Compounds with Hydrogen:

   Hydrogen Peroxide commonly kept at home to act as a disinfectant  (Justin Lin)

 

 

 

 (jchemed) Petroleum's abundant element make-up includes the atoms of hydrogen and carbon