Hydrogen: Watching the World Burn
NOW AVAILABLE: Stickers (click here), mugs (click here), t-shirts (click here) and bags (click here) of this hydrogen cartoon character!
Hydrogen is a tiny, colourless gas. It’s the smallest element on the periodic table! Hydrogen is so abundant that it accounts for 3/4 of the mass of the universe.
Watch out, because hydrogen can be deadly. People used to fill airships with hydrogen to make them float. It seemed like a perfect idea because hydrogen is super light and affordable. Unfortunately, it turned out that hydrogen is incredibly flammable. This lead to the Hindenburg disaster: the hydrogen in the German passenger airship caught fire. From this it became obvious that using hydrogen to fly is pretty dangerous. So don’t freak out the next time you ride a hot air balloon; it isn’t full of flammable hydrogen (anymore).
So, have we stopped using hydrogen in practical applications? No, hydrogen is making a comeback! Don’t worry, we aren’t filling up our airplanes with hydrogen gas. Scientists are working on hydrogen fuel cells, a very promising, clean source of electricity.