Hydrogen

Occurrence and Preparation of Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table. In elemental form, it exists as
diatomic molecule H2, and this H2 is called dihydrogen. Electronic configuration of
hydrogen is 1.

It was first discovered by Robert Boyle in 1672, though he was unable to establish that it
was an element.

Hydrogen is placed separately in the periodic table. Do you know why?

It is due to its unique behavior. It contains only one electron. As a result, H+ ion does not
exist freely. It exists in association with other atoms or molecules.

Curiosity Corner

Hydrogen is the lightest of all gases, and it burns with a pale-blue invisible flame.

Occurrence

As you probably know, hydrogen does not occur freely in nature; but in the sun and the
other stars, free hydrogen is the chief constituent.

In combined state, you can find hydrogen occurring as water, in organic compounds,
mineral products and acids.
 Curiosity Corner

The large amount of energy in the form of heat and light is released by sun when two
hydrogen atoms fuse to form a helium atom. This process of combination of two nuclei of
hydrogen to form a bigger nucleus of helium is called nuclear fusion.

Similarities Between Hydrogen and Alkali metals

• One electron in the valence shell.

• Same valency (+1)
• Acts as reducing agents
• Burns in oxygen to form oxides

Similarities Between Hydrogen and Halogens

• One less electron than inert gas configuration

• Same valency
• Forms anions
• Electronegative in nature
• Same physical state
• Exists as diatomic molecule

Isotopes of hydrogen

There are three isotopes of hydrogen. They are

• Protium
• Deuterium
• Tritium

Preparation of hydrogen

Some methods for preparing hydrogen are given below.

• By the action of dilute acids on metals: Metals react with dilute sulphuric and
hydrochloric acid to form their respective salts and hydrogen gas.

Metal + Acid (dilute) → Metallic salt + Hydrogen

• By the action of water on metals

• Action of cold water: Certain metals react with cold water to form their respective
metallic hydroxides and hydrogen gas.

Metal + Water (Cold) → Metal Hydroxide + Hydrogen

Action of hot water: Certain metals do not react with cold metals but they react in hot
water to form their respective metallic hydroxides and hydrogen gas.

Metal + Water (Hot) → Metal Hydroxide + Hydrogen

Mg (s) + 2H2O (l) → Mg(OH)2 (aq) + H2 (g)

• Action of steam: Certain metals react with steam to form their respective metallic
oxides and hydrogen gas.

Metal + Steam → Metal Oxide + Hydrogen

By the action of caustic alkalies on metals: Metals such as aluminium, zinc, and lead
in powdered form, when boiled with concentrated solution of caustic soda (NaOH) or
caustic potash (KOH), form their respective metallic salts and hydrogen gas.

Passing steam over red hot coke, produces water gas.

C (s) + H2O (g) → CO (g)+H2 (g)

• Hydrogen is commercially prepared by the electrolysis of acidified water, using platinum
electrodes.

• Laboratory preparation

Hydrogen can be prepared in laboratories by the reaction of active metals like

granulated zinc with dilute HCl or dilute sulphuric acid.

Let us see how.

Take 5 g zinc in a conical flask and fix a two-holed air tight stopper in the mouth of the
flask. Through one hole, pass a thistle funnel, and through the other hole, pass a
delivery tube whose other end is dipped in a water trough. Over the other end, place a
beehive shelf.

Pour 2 cc of copper sulphate solution through the thistle funnel, and then dilute
sulphuric acid, so that the lower end of the thistle funnel is completely immersed. Then,
a reaction takes place between zinc and sulphuric acid, with the evolution of hydrogen
gas.

Here, the copper sulphate solution acts as a catalyst. The evolved hydrogen gas
bubbles through water. The first few bubbles contain air, so allow them to escape. Then,
invert a gas jar completely filled with water over the beehive shelf. The hydrogen gas
produced collects in the gas jar by displacing water.

The hydrogen gas prepared by this method may have the following impurities:
• Hydrogen sulphide (H2S)
• Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
• Oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
• Phosphine (PH3)
• Arsine (AsH3)
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
• Water vapour (H2O)

The following techniques are used to remove these impurities:

Type of Technique Reaction
Impurity

Arsine and Using silver

Phosphine nitrate
solution
(AgNO3)
Hydrogen Using lead
sulphide nitrate
solution
(Pb(NO3)2)
Sulphur Using
dioxide, caustic
Carbon potash
dioxide, solution
Oxides of (KOH)
nitrogen
Water Using a For examples, fused calcium chloride (CaCl2), caustic potash
vapour suitable (KOH) stick, phosphorous pentoxide (P2O5)
drying agent

• Industrial method:

Bosch process

Stage − I: Water gas is prepared by reacting coke with super-heated steam. The
reaction is endothermic.

C + H2O → CO + H2

Stage − II: Water gas is reacted with more of steam within a temperature range of 450
to 500oC to form a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas.

CO + H2O + H2 → CO2 + 2H2

The catalyst used is Iron(III) oxide mixed with Chromium(III) oxide.

 Stage −III: The primary impurities such as carbon monoxide are removed by absorbing
them in ammoniacal copper (I) chloride.

CO + CuCl + 2H2O → CO.CuCl.2H2O

Carbon dioxide is absorbed in caustic potash solution or dissolved in water at high

pressures.

CO2 + 2KOH → K2CO3 + H2O

CO2 + H2O → H2CO3

Test for Hydrogen

1. Non-supporter of combustion
2. Burns in the air with pale blue flame forming water:

2 H2 + O2 → 2 H2O

However, this test works only when hydrogen is not mixed with air (oxygen). If it is
mixed with air(oxygen), then it burns with a popping sound.

Properties and Uses of Hydrogen

Let us first discuss the physical properties of hydrogen.

Physical Properties

• Pure hydrogen is a colourless, odourless, tasteless and combustible gas.

• Hydrogen is the lightest element. It is even lighter than air.

Curiosity Corner

Hydrogen was used for filling gas balloons. However, since it is highly
explosive, balloons are now filled with helium.
• It is almost insoluble in water.
• It readily undergoes adsorption or occlusion with metals like palladium, platinum or
nickel.

Chemical Properties

• Hydrogen is relatively inert at room temperature due to high H−H bond enthalpy.

• It is a combustible gas, but it does not support combustion.

• Hydrogen gas is neutral towards litmus paper.

Chemical reactions

Hydrogen undergoes chemical reactions by either of the following ways:

(i) Losing an electron to form H+ ion

(ii) Gaining an electron to form H− ion

(iii) Sharing an electron to form a single covalent bond

Let us see some of the reactions involving hydrogen.

• Action with chlorine gas

When a mixture of hydrogen and chlorine is exposed to sunlight, the mixture of gases
turns colourless. This is because of the formation of hydrogen chloride gas.

• Action with oxygen

 Hydrogen burns in oxygen to form steam with pale blue flame, which condenses to form
water.

• Action with nitrogen

Hydrogen reacts with dinitrogen to form ammonia (Haber’s process).

• Action with metallic oxides

When hydrogen gas is passed over heated oxides of metals, hydrogen reacts with them
to form the corresponding metals along with water.

This reaction in which a metallic oxide loses its oxygen to form the pure metal is
called reduction reaction. This property of hydrogen is thus called
its reducing property.

• Action with sulphur

When hydrogen gas is passed over molten sulphur, it reacts with it to form hydrogen
sulphide gas.

H2 (g) + S(l) → H2S(g)

Action with metals

When hydrogen gas is passed over heated metals, it reacts with them to form
corresponding hydrides. These hydrides react with water to form corresponding metal
hydroxides and liberate hydrogen gas.

• Action with organic compounds

 Hydrogen gas readily combines with unsaturated organic compounds that contain
double and/or triple bond and converts them into corresponding saturated compounds.
This reaction occurs in the presence of a catalyst like nickel metal and is known
as hydrogenation reaction.

Uses of Hydrogen

• In the synthesis of ammonia gas

• In the manufacture of vanaspati fat by hydrogenation of vanaspati oils
• In chemical industries, for manufacturing compounds like methanol and hydrogen
chloride
• To reduce heavy metal oxides to the corresponding metals in metallurgical processes
• In atomic hydrogen and oxy-hydrogen torches, which are used for cutting and welding
purposes
• As a rocket fuel
• In fuel cells to generate electricity
• In automatic lighters and self lighting gas jets.
• To produce artificial petrol from coal
• In extraction of metals by reducing the heated metallic oxides(less active metals) to
metal
• In meteorological balloons, for studying weather conditions

Curiosity Corner

Hydrogen is also used as a fuel in various cars like BMW, AUDI and CADILLAC.

It does not cause pollution and has more fuel efficiency than gasoline and other
fuels.
 Atomic hydrogen atoms recombine with the surface to be welded, raising the
temperature to 4000 K
The following pi diagram shows the extent of use of hydrogen in different fields.

Redox Reactions: Oxidation and Reduction Reactions

Classical Idea of Redox Reactions
Oxidation

• Addition of oxygen or any other electronegative element or removal of hydrogen or any

other electropositive element
• Examples:

Addition of oxygen

2Mg(s) + O2(g) → 2MgO(s)

CH4(g) + 2O2(g) → CO2(s) + 2H2O(l)

Addition of electronegative element

Mg(s) + Cl2(s) → MgCl2(s)

Zn(s) + S(s) → ZnS(s)

Removal of hydrogen

2H2S(g) + O2(g) → 2S(s) + 2H2O(l)

Removal of electropositive element

2K4[Fe(CN)6](aq) + H2O2(aq) → 2K3[Fe(CN)6](aq) + 2KOH(aq)

• Oxidising agents:
• Substances that oxidises other substance by accepting electrons or by providing
oxygen or an electronegative ion, or by removing hydrogen or electropositive ion.
• In this process they reduce themselves.

State Oxidising agents

Manganese dioxide (MnO2), red lead, lead dioxide (PbO), potassium

Solid
permanganate (KMnO4), potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7), bleaching powder etc.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), concentrated nitric acid (HNO3), concentrated sulphuric

Liquid
acid (H2SO4), bromine (Br2) etc.

Gas Oxygen, ozone (O3), chlorine, etc.

• Tests for oxidising agents

• Strongly heating them releases oxygen which is good supporter of combustion and
increases the flame of a burning splinter
• Bubbling hydrogen sulphide gas through the solution of oxidising agents leads to
formation of a yellow precipitate of Sulphur
• Warming them with concentrated hydrochloric acid releases chlorine gas which
bleaches moist litmus paper
• Reacting them with acidified potassium iodide solution releases iodine gas; it turns
freshly prepared starch solution blue

Reduction

• Addition of hydrogen or any other electropositive element or removal of oxygen or any

other electronegative element
• Examples:

Addition of hydrogen

CH2=CH2(g) + H2(g) → H3C−CH3(g)

Addition of electropositive element

(Hg to HgCl2)

2HgCl2(aq) + SnCl2(aq) → Hg2Cl2(s) + SnCl4(aq)

Removal of oxygen

2HgO(s) 2Hg(l) + O2(g)

Removal of electronegative element (Cl from FeCl3) −−−

 2FeCl3(aq) + H2(g) → 2FeCl2(aq) + 2HCl(aq)

• Reducing agents:
• Substances that reduce other substances by providing electrons, or by providing
hydrogen or an electropositive ion, or by removing oxygen or an electronegatiove ion.
• In this process they oxidise themselves.

State Reducing agents

Carbon, metals such as zinc, aluminium, copper, sodium, stannous chloride

Solid
(SnCl2), glucose (C6H12O6), etc.

Liquid Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydrogen iodide (HI), hydrogen bromide (HBr), etc.

Gas Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), etc.

• Tests for reducing agents

• Heating them with black copper (II) oxide changes the oxide to red copper metal
• When warmed with nitric acid, they give out brown fumes of nitrogen dioxide.
• Adding dilute potassium permanganate solution to them decolourises the potassium
permanganate solution
• Adding acidified potassium dichromate solution to them changes the colour of
potassium dichromate solution from orange to green
• Adding iron (III) salts to them changes the colour of the salts from yellow to green (iron
(II) salts are formed)

When oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously, such types of reactions are
called redox reactions.

Redox Reactions in Terms of Electron Transfer Reactions

• Oxidation −−− Loss of electrons by any species

• Reduction −−− Gain of electrons by any species

• Oxidizing agent −Acceptor of electrons

• Reducing agent − Donor of Electrons

• Examples:
• Competitive electron transfer reactions

• Reaction between metallic zinc and the aqueous solution of copper nitrate:

• Reaction between metallic copper and the aqueous solution of zinc sulphate:

Cu(s) + Zn2+(aq) → No reaction

That is, Zn has greater tendency to lose electrons than Cu.

• Metal activity series or electrochemical series:

Differences between oxidation and reduction

Oxidation Reduction

It is addition of oxygen It is removal of oxygen

It is removal of hydrogen It is addition of hydrogen

It is addition of an electronegative atom/ion It is removal of an electronegative atom/ion

It is removal of electropositive atom/ion It is addition of electropositive atom/ion

There is an increase in positive valency There is a decrease in positive valency

There is a decrease in negative valency There is an increase in negative valency

Loss of electrons occur Gain of electrons occur