hydrogen economy

(noun)

A hypothetical future economy in which the primary form of stored energy for mobile applications and load balancing is hydrogen (H2). In particular, H2 replaces fossil fuels used to power automobiles.

Related Terms

  • hydrocarbon economy

Examples of hydrogen economy in the following topics:

  • The Hydrogen Economy

    • The hydrogen economy refers to using hydrogen as the next important source of fuel.
    • The hydrogen economy refers to a hypothetical future system of delivering energy through the use of hydrogen (H2).
    • One major obstacle in the hydrogen economy is its transport and storage.
    • Although the hydrogen economy is supposed to create a smaller carbon footprint, there are many concerns regarding the environmental effects of hydrogen manufacturing.
    • The hydrogen economy could possibly revolutionize the current energy infrastructure by transferring fuel demands from fossil fuels onto hydrogen.
  • Hydrogen Bonding

    • A hydrogen bond is a strong intermolecular force created by the relative positivity of hydrogen atoms.
    • A hydrogen atom attached to a relatively electronegative atom is a hydrogen bond donor.
    • This hydrogen atom is a hydrogen bond donor.
    • Greater electronegativity of the hydrogen bond acceptor will create a stronger hydrogen bond.
    • Where do hydrogen bonds form?
  • Hydrogenation

    • Hydrogenation reactions, which involve the addition of hydrogen to substrates, have many important applications.
    • Hydrogenation refers to the treatment of substances with molecular hydrogen (H2), adding pairs of hydrogen atoms to compounds (generally unsaturated compounds).
    • Most hydrogenation reactions use gaseous hydrogen as the hydrogen source, but alternative sources have been developed.
    • The reverse of hydrogenation, where hydrogen is removed from the compounds, is known as dehydrogenation.
    • Hydrogen gas is the most common source of hydrogen used and is commercially available.
  • Hydrogen Bonding and Van der Waals Forces

    • Two weak bonds that occur frequently are hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions.
    • When polar covalent bonds containing hydrogen form, the hydrogen in that bond has a slightly positive charge because hydrogen’s one electron is pulled more strongly toward the other element and away from the hydrogen.
    • This interaction is called a hydrogen bond.
    • Hydrogen bonds are also responsible for zipping together the DNA double helix.
    • The slightly negative oxygen side of the water molecule and the slightly positive hydrogen side of the water molecule are attracted to each other and form a hydrogen bond.
  • Properties of Hydrogen

    • Hydrogen is the smallest element, with one proton and one electron.
    • Hydrogen exists in two different spin isomers of hydrogen diatomic molecules that differ by the relative spin of their nuclei.
    • Hydrogen is available in different forms, such as compressed gaseous hydrogen, liquid hydrogen, and slush hydrogen (composed of liquid and solid), as well as solid and metallic forms.
    • Because hydrogen is buoyant in air, hydrogen flames ascend rapidly and cause less damage than hydrocarbon fires.
    • Oxidation of hydrogen removes its electron and yields the H+ ion.
  • Hydrogen Bonding

    • Hydrogen forms polar covalent bonds to more electronegative atoms such as oxygen, and because a hydrogen atom is quite small, the positive end of the bond dipole (the hydrogen) can approach neighboring nucleophilic or basic sites more closely than can other polar bonds.
    • In the following diagram the hydrogen bonds are depicted as magenta dashed lines.
    • The molecule providing a polar hydrogen for a hydrogen bond is called a donor.
    • Also, O–H---O hydrogen bonds are clearly stronger than N–H---N hydrogen bonds, as we see by comparing propanol with the amines.
    • Comparison of Boiling Points of Methane, Ammonia, Water, and Hydrogen Fluoride
  • Substitution of the Hydroxyl Hydrogen

    • As with the alcohols, the phenolic hydroxyl hydrogen is rather easily replaced by other substituents.
  • Hydrogenation

    • Addition of hydrogen to a carbon-carbon double bond is called hydrogenation.
    • The simplest source of two hydrogen atoms is molecular hydrogen (H2), but mixing alkenes with hydrogen does not result in any discernible reaction.
    • Catalytic hydrogenation takes place in at least two stages, as depicted in the diagram.
    • First, the alkene must be absorbed on the surface of the catalyst along with some of the hydrogen.
    • This is often true, but the hydrogenation catalysts may also cause isomerization of the double bond prior to hydrogen addition, in which case stereoselectivity may be uncertain.
  • Isotopes of Hydrogen

    • Hydrogen has three naturally occurring isotopes: protium, deuterium and tritium.
    • Hydrogen is generally found as diatomic hydrogen gas H2, or it combines with other atoms in compounds—monoatomic hydrogen is rare.
    • 2H, or deuterium (D), is the other stable isotope of hydrogen.
    • It is a highly unstable isotope of hydrogen.
    • 5H is another highly unstable heavy isotope of hydrogen.
  • Types of Natural Resources

    • It's goal is to gain a better understanding of the role of natural resources in the economy.
    • Every man-made product in an economy is composed of natural resources to some degree.
    • An example of a stock resource is hydrogen.
    • This diagram illustrates how society and the economy are subsets of the environment.
    • For this reason, natural resource economics focuses on understanding the role of natural resources in the economy in order to develop a sufficient and sustainable economy that protects natural resources.
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