Chemical Symbol: H2

Description:
Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, flammable and nontoxic gas. It is the lightest element and can be found in the atmosphere with the concentration of about 0.5 ppm. The gas burns in air with an almost invisible light blue color. When mixed with air or oxygen, it has an ignition temperature between 566°C and 579°C. Hydrogen is flammable in dry air when the mixture consists of 4.0 percent to 75.0 percent hydrogen, and between 4.6 percent and 93.9 percent when mixed with oxygen. At temperatures of less than -253°C, hydrogen is in liquid form, and its weight is only one fourteenth of the weight of water.


Uses:
Hydrogen is used by refineries, petrochemical and bulk chemical facilities for hydrotreating, catalytic reforming, and hydrocracking. Hydrogen is used for production of chemicals, such as dyes, catalysts, flavors, fragrances, pesticides, halogen organics, plastic and synthetic fibers, and petroleum. It can also be used for heat treating, metal production, welding and cutting. Food companies use hydrogen to hydrogenate fats, oils and fatty acids for the products such as oleomargarine, soap and industrial greases and oils. In addition, hydrogen is used by glass manufacturers in the production of glass and by electronics manufacturers for production of semiconductors. Liquid hydrogen is used as a fuel for missiles and rockets, as well as in laboratory research.