Hydrogen A Utile Element Essay - 644 Words

Elements are the basic building blocks of matter due to the fact that they are chemically the simplest substances. Whether we can find them in the air or in our gold/silver necklaces, elements are everywhere! One essential element is hydrogen, the first element on the period table (located under Group 1 as an alkaline metal) is composed of a single proton and electron; therefore having an atomic number and atomic mass of 1 and electron configuration of 1s1. In fact, hydrogen is the lightest, simplest and most commonly found chemical element in the universe (it makes up about 90% of the universe by weight). Interestingly enough, the heavier elements on the periodic table were either made from hydrogen or other elements that were made†¦show more content†¦In 1839, Sir William Robert Grove, a British scientist, conducted several experiments on electrolysis involving hydrogen. In his experiments, he used electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. He also argued that y ou could reverse electrolysis by generating electricity through the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen (called the fuel cell effect) through his experiments. In addition to the discovery of hydrogen, Harold Urey discovered deuterium gas (a heavy isotope of hydrogen) in 1931. Finally, in 1953, the United States formed the NASA, in which uses the most liquid hydrogen worldwide for rocket propulsion as well as fuel for fuel cells. Hydrogen has received a lot of attention as a renewable and environmentally friendly source of energy. One of the most vital use of hydrogen is to create water, in which every organism living on Earth needs in order to survive. Hydrogen is also used in many food industries in hydrogenated oils and fats, which forms margarine from vegetable oil, prolonging shelf life of foods. In addition, since hydrogen is a source for clean fuel, it is found in many power generators as well as several sources of energy, such as being a fuel source for vehicles since it doesnt p roduce any harmful greenhouse gases. Furthermore, tritium (one of hydrogens radioactive isotopes), is produced nuclear reactors, production of the hydrogen bomb, and as a tracer isotope.