Hydrogen Element

First off, where is a hydrogen element found on our planet? Actually, it’s found in all of life. It’s the lightest of all elements and is the most abundant in the entire universe making up about 90% of it in weight. We make the hydrogen we use mainly from water, since water is two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen and the planet Earth is made up of mostly water. The hydrogen element on the periodic table of elements is symbolized simply by the letter H. Hydrogen is essential in pertaining life and is found in all organic compounds. Hydrogen is also the lightest of all gases known to man.

Hydrogen was used in air transport but it’s far too dangerous to handle, maintain and control. The horrific end to the Hindenburg is a perfect example of what can happen if not properly managed. It’s extremely flammable and the slightest spark can ignite it possibly causing terrible outcomes. Within the last four decades, however, hydrogen has been considered and tested successfully with fuel combustible engines. With water being its only waste a hydrogen economy is on its way as soon as it can be used without the presence of any fossil fuels.

Although the hydrogen element was first discovered in 1671 by an English chemist and physicist, Robert Boyle, it wasn’t considered to be an element until 1766 by Henry Cavendish - another English chemist and physicist. The origin of the name came by a gentleman named Lavoisier who put two Greek words together; hydro meaning “water” and genes meaning “generator” or some would say that genes means “forming”. When Boyle put iron filings and a dilute acid together, he noticed it released hydrogen in a gaseous form. It was believed that the metal was releasing the hydrogen but it was Cavendish who discovered some time later that it was the liquid acid that was releasing it.

An interesting fact about hydrogen is that 95% of the world’s supply of hydrogen is extracted from methane – not water. This is because it costs much cheaper to extract it from methane than from water. Hydrogen itself costs about seventeen dollars a gram, that’s about $8000 a pound. And being the most abundant element in the universe known to man, it’s only made up of one proton and one electron. Hydrogen is the raw fuel used that stars burn to shine up our night sky.

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