Chemical Production of Hydrogen and Oxygen

 In our world today, there are several chemical methods which we can be used to produce hydrogen for use in the hydrogen fuel cell.

A :Metals react with acid or water to produce hydrogen.

1.      Calcium  +  hydrochloric acid  →  calcium chloride + hydrogen

     Equation:       Ca_(s) + 2HCI _(aq) → CaCl_{2 (aq)} + H_{2 (g)}

2.      Calcium  +  water  →  calcium hydroxide  + hydrogen

Equation:     Ca_(s) + H₂O_(l) → Ca (OH)_2(s) + H_2(g) 

3.      Ammonia    Nickel Catalyst    Hydrogen + Nitrogen

Equation:   NH₃      Nickel Catalyst    H_2(g)  + N_2(g)

B: Production of oxygen:

      Hydrogen peroxide    Manganese  dioxide     hydrogen  + water

     Equation:

                2H₂O₂       MnO₂     O_2(g) + 2H₂O_(g)

     Other methods used to produce Hydrogen

1. Electrolysis of Water   

         In order to get hydrogen from water one must electrolyze the water. The process is called the electrolysis of water. To electrolyze water one needs to put the water into the electrolysis equipment. Once the water is in the electrolysis equipment you need to electrolyze the water by using some form of electricity. After a while the water will break down into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen and oxygen will rise to the top of the tubes. The rest of the water is left at the bottom of the tube.  The equation involved is: 

             2H₂O_(l) → O_2(g)  + 2H_2(g)

       2. Comparison of Wind and Solar Energy

            Wind and solar energy are great environmentally friendly sources of electricity. Wind mills are used to create electricity by using the wind to power it. On the other hand solar panels are used to create electricity using sunlight from the sun. Although windmills and solar panels are costly they help the environment because they both are using natural sources to produce electricity. Windmills are usually located on wind farms. Wind farms are specific areas where windmills are kept to produce electricity. One example would be a wind farms in Germany. The only problem about windmills is that they are expensive and they are too big to put in cities like New York. On the other hand, solar panels can be large or small and can be placed almost anywhere. To buy a wind mill for personal use one would need a very big back yard.  Unlike windmills one doesn’t need a large back yard to put solar panels because they can be placed on a roof. Those are the comparisons of wind and solar energy.