How to separate hydrogen from water. How to get hydrogen from water: step-by-step instructions

Hydrogen production is one of the main forming chains of hydrogen energy. Hydrogen in pure form, practically does not occur in nature, so it must be extracted from others chemical substances various methods and ways.

How to get hydrogen: methods

  • Steam methane reforming and natural gas: water vapor at high temperature(700 - 1000 degrees Celsius) is mixed with methane under pressure, in the presence of a catalyst.
  • Coal gasification: one of the oldest methods for producing hydrogen. Without air access, at a temperature of 800 - 1300 degrees Celsius, coal is heated along with water vapor, while coal displaces oxygen from water. The output is carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
  • Electrolysis of water: a very simple way to produce hydrogen. A soda solution is poured into the container, into which 2 electrical elements are placed, one corresponding to the minus - the cathode, the other to the plus - the anode. Electricity is supplied to this solution, which breaks the water into its components - hydrogen is released at the cathode, and oxygen at the anode.
  • Pyrolysis: decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen without access of air and at high temperature.
  • Partial oxidation: an alloy of aluminum and gallium metals is formed into special briquettes, which are placed in a container with water, resulting in chemical reaction hydrogen and aluminum oxide are formed. Gallium is used in the alloy to prevent aluminum from oxidizing.
  • Biotechnology: back in the 20th century, it was discovered that if Chlamydomonas algae do not have enough oxygen and sulfur during their life, they will rapidly begin to release hydrogen.
  • Deep gas of the planet: in the depths of the earth, hydrogen can be found in pure gaseous form, but its production from there is not advisable.

How to get hydrogen from water

Most in a simple way producing hydrogen from water is electrolysis. Electrolysis - chemical process, in which an electrolyte solution, under the influence of an electric current, is divided into its component parts, that is, in our case, water is divided into hydrogen and oxygen. To do this, a solution of soda in water and two elements are used - a cathode and an anode, on which gases will be released. Voltage is applied to the elements, oxygen is released at the anode, and hydrogen is released at the cathode.

How to make hydrogen at home

The reagents used are quite simple - vitriol (copper), table salt, aluminum and water. Aluminum can be taken from beer cans, but first it must be burned to get rid of the plastic film that interferes with the reaction.

Then a solution of vitriol, and a solution of salt, a solution of vitriol are prepared separately blue color, mixed with a salt solution, the result is a green solution. Then we throw a piece into this green solution aluminum foil, bubbles appear around it - this is hydrogen. We also notice that the foil is covered with a red coating; this is aluminum displacing copper from the solution. In order to collect hydrogen for personal purposes, use a bottle with a stopper, into which a narrow tube has been inserted in advance, through which the gas will escape.

Now, pay attention! Precautionary measures. Since hydrogen is an explosive gas, experiments with it must be carried out outdoors, and secondly, the reaction to produce hydrogen takes place with a large release of heat, the solution can splash and simply burn you.

How to make hydrogen peroxide

  • In the laboratory, hydrogen peroxide is produced using the reaction: BaO 2 + H 2 SO 4 = BaSO 4 + H 2 O 2.
  • On an industrial scale, it is obtained using the electrolysis of sulfuric acid, during which persulfuric acid is formed, which is ultimately decomposed into sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide.
  • How else to obtain hydrogen in the laboratory: hydrogen is often obtained in the laboratory by the interaction of zinc and hydrochloric acid: Zn + 2HCl = H 2 + ZnCl 2.

I hope you got away from this article the information you needed, and once again I warn you - be careful with any experiments and experiments with hydrogen!

Everyone knows from school that hydrogen occupies the very first place in the periodic table and is designated by the symbol H. But, despite this knowledge, few people have heard that obtaining hydrogen from water can be done without any problems at home. In addition, it is worth noting the fact that today this chemical element is actively used as automobile fuel, since it does not enter into the atmosphere during combustion. environment. By the way, hydrogen is produced industrially using the reaction of water vapor with heated carbon (coke), electrolysis of a sodium chloride solution, etc. In short, there are a huge number of ways in which a substance can be obtained in laboratory conditions. But, using the methods described below, you can conduct an experiment on producing hydrogen at home. But in this case, you should not forget about caution when working with flammable substances.

Initially, you should make sure that you have everything you need on hand for chemical experiment. First, you need to make sure that the hydrogen collection tube is completely intact (even the smallest crack can ruin the whole process). In addition, before conducting an experiment with a smoldering splinter, it is recommended to wrap the test tube with thick cloth as a precaution. After preparatory process You can safely move on to practice and, taking the flask in your hands, fill it a little with water. Next, a piece of calcium is placed in the water, and the container is immediately tightly sealed with a stopper. The “elbow” of the tube, which is curved and passes through the stopper, should be in a container of water (“hydraulic seal”), and the ends of the tube should protrude slightly from the water. The protruding end must be very quickly covered with a test tube turned upside down. As a result, this test tube will have to be filled with hydrogen (the edge of the test tube is kept in water).

As soon as the reaction in the flask is completely completed, the test tube must be immediately closed with a very tight stopper, which is held upside down, which will help prevent the evaporation of lighter hydrogen. By the way, it is best to do this while continuing to keep its edge under water. But in order to check the presence of hydrogen, you need to pull out the stopper, and then bring a smoldering splinter to the edge of the test tube. As a result, a specific bang should be heard. It would be useful to remind you that calcium, compared to alkali metals, although less active, is also dangerous, so you still need to work with it carefully. It is recommended to store it in a glass container under a film of liquid paraffin or kerosene. The element should be removed immediately before the experiment itself using long tweezers. Also, if possible, it is best to get rubber gloves!

You can also get hydrogen from water at home in the following very simple way: complex method. Initially, water is filled into a 1.5 liter plastic bottle. Then caustic potassium (about 15 grams) or caustic salt is dissolved in this water. Next, the bottle needs to be placed in a pan, into which water is first filled. Now you need to take a 40 centimeter aluminum wire and cut it into pieces, the length of which should be 5 centimeters. The cut wire is thrown into the bottle, and a pre-prepared rubber ball is placed on its neck. The hydrogen that is released during the reaction between aluminum and alkali will collect in the rubber ball. Since this reaction is carried out with the active release of heat, you must definitely follow safety rules and act carefully!

And finally, hydrogen is obtained from water using conventional table salt. To do this, pour salt in the amount of five large spoons into a glass container with a narrow neck and stir well. After that, a copper wire is taken and inserted into the syringe from the piston side. This area must be well sealed with glue. Next, the syringe is lowered into a container with saline solution and gradually fill it. The copper wire must be connected to the negative terminal of the 12 Volt battery. As a result of the electrolysis reaction, hydrogen will begin to be released near the wiring, which is displaced from the syringe by the saline solution. As soon as the copper wire stops contacting the salt water, the reaction is complete. This is how you can use quite simple methods independently obtain hydrogen from water. By the way, when using any of the methods, you must remember that hydrogen becomes explosive when mixed with oxygen!

You will need

  • 1.5 liter plastic bottle, rubber ball, pan with water, potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide ( caustic soda, caustic soda), 40 centimeters of aluminum wire, a piece of zinc, a glass container with a narrow neck, a solution of hydrochloric acid, a rubber ball, a 12 Volt battery, a copper wire, a zinc wire, a glass vessel, water, table salt, glue, syringe .

Instructions

Fill a plastic bottle halfway with water. Throw into a bottle and dissolve 10-15 grams of caustic soda or soda in water. Place the bottle in a pan of water. Cut the aluminum wire into pieces 5 centimeters long and throw it into the bottle. Place a rubber ball on the neck of the bottle. The alkali released during the reaction with the alkali solution will be in a rubber ball. This occurs with a violent discharge - be careful!

Pour salt into a glass container and throw zinc into it. Place on the neck of a glass container balloon. Released during reaction with hydrochloric acid hydrogen will collect in hot-air balloon.

Pour water into a glass container and stir 4-5 tablespoons of table salt in it. Then insert a copper wire into the syringe from the piston side. Seal this area with glue. Dip the syringe into the container with the saline solution and move the plunger back to fill the syringe. Connect the copper wire to the negative terminal of the battery. Dip a zinc wire into the salt solution next to the syringe and connect it to the positive terminal of the battery. As a result of the electrolysis reaction, hydrogen is released near the copper wire, which displaces, the contact of the copper wire with the saline solution will be interrupted, and the reaction will stop.

Modern name hydrogen– hydrogen, given by the famous French chemist Lavoisier. The name means hydro (water) and genesis (giving birth). “Combustible air,” as it was previously called, was discovered by Cavendish in 1766, and he also proved that hydrogen is lighter than air. IN school curriculum in chemistry there are lessons that tell not only about this gas, but also the method of producing it.

You will need

  • Wurtz flask, sodium hydroxide, aluminum granules and powder, measuring cup, aluminum spoon, tripod, dropping funnel. Safety glasses and gloves, a torch, a lighter or matches.

Instructions

First way.
Take a Wurtz flask, in which a glass outlet tube is soldered to the neck, and a dropping funnel. Assemble the system on a tripod by attaching the flask with a clamp and placing it on a table surface. Insert a drip funnel with a tap into it on top.

Check that all systems - the Wurtz flask and the clamp - are tightly secured. Take it. It should be in granules. Put it in the flask. Pour a more or less saturated solution into the dropping funnel. Prepare two containers for containment, as well as a torch and a lighter or matches to light it.

Pour sodium hydroxide from the dropping funnel into the Wurtz flask by opening the stopcock on the funnel. Wait, after a while the evolution of hydrogen will begin. Hydrogen, with a small content of , will fill the flask completely. To speed up this process, heat the Wurtz flask from below using a torch.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. But it didn’t go further than experiments with a battery and a pair of electrodes. I wanted to make a full-fledged device for producing hydrogen, in quantities to inflate a balloon. Before making a full-fledged device for electrolysis of water at home, I decided to test everything on the model.

The general diagram of the electrolyzer looks like this.

This model is not suitable for full daily use. But we managed to test the idea.

So for the electrodes I decided to use graphite. An excellent source of graphite for electrodes is trolleybus current collector. There are plenty of them lying around at the final stops. It must be remembered that one of the electrodes will be destroyed.

We saw and finalize it with a file. The intensity of electrolysis depends on the current strength and the area of ​​the electrodes.

Wires are attached to the electrodes. The wires must be carefully insulated.

Electrolyzer models are quite suitable for the housing plastic bottles. Holes are made in the lid for tubes and wires.

Everything is carefully coated with sealant.

To connect two containers, cut off bottle necks are suitable.

They need to be joined together and the seam melted.

Nuts are made from bottle caps.

Holes are made in the bottom of two bottles. Everything is connected and carefully filled with sealant.

We will use a 220V household network as a voltage source. I want to warn you that this is a rather dangerous toy. So, if you do not have sufficient skills or have doubts, then it is better not to repeat it. In the household network we have alternating current; for electrolysis it must be rectified. A diode bridge is perfect for this. The one in the photo turned out to be not powerful enough and quickly burned out. The best option became a Chinese diode bridge MB156 in an aluminum housing.

The diode bridge gets very hot. Active cooling will be required. A cooler for a computer processor is perfect. You can use a suitable size junction box for the housing. Sold in electrical goods.

Several layers of cardboard must be placed under the diode bridge.

The necessary holes are made in the cover of the junction box.

This is what the assembled installation looks like. The electrolyzer is powered from the mains, the fan from a universal power source. A solution is used as an electrolyte baking soda. Here you need to remember that the higher the concentration of the solution, the higher the reaction rate. But at the same time the heating is higher. Moreover, the decomposition reaction of sodium at the cathode will contribute to heating. This reaction is exothermic. As a result, hydrogen and sodium hydroxide will be formed.

The device in the photo above got very hot. I had to turn it off periodically and wait until it cooled down. The heating problem was partially solved by cooling the electrolyte. For this I used a tabletop fountain pump. A long tube passes from one bottle to another through a pump and a bucket of cold water.

Electrolysis of water is the most old way obtaining hydrogen. Skipping D.C. through water, hydrogen accumulates at the cathode, and oxygen at the anode. Producing hydrogen by electrolysis is a very energy-intensive production, therefore it is used exclusively in those areas where this gas is quite valuable and necessary.

Producing hydrogen at home is a fairly easy process and there are several ways to do it:

1. We will need an alkali solution; do not be alarmed by these names because... all this is freely available.

For example, the “mole” pipe cleaner is perfect in composition. Pour a little alkali into the flask and add 100 ml of water;

Mix thoroughly to completely dissolve the crystals;

Add a few small pieces of aluminum;

We wait about 3-5 minutes until the reaction occurs as quickly as possible;

Add an additional few pieces of aluminum and 10-20 grams of alkali;

We close the tank with a special flask with a tube that leads into the gas collection tank and wait a few minutes until the air comes out of the vessel under hydrogen pressure.

2. Release of hydrogen from aluminum, table salt and copper sulfate.

Pour copper sulfate and a little more salt into the flask;

Dilute everything with water and mix well;

We place the flask in a tank of water, since the reaction will release a lot of heat;

Otherwise, everything needs to be done the same as in the first method.

3. Producing hydrogen from water by passing a 12V current through a solution of salt in water. This is the easiest method and most suitable for home use. The only disadvantage of this method is that relatively little hydrogen is released.

So. Now you know how to get hydrogen from water and more. There are so many experiments you can do. Remember to follow safety rules to avoid injury.

Producing hydrogen at home

This article describes the most popular ways to produce cheap hydrogen at home.

Method 1. Hydrogen from aluminum and alkali.

The alkali solution used is caustic potassium or caustic soda. The hydrogen released is purer than when acids react with active metals.

Pour into the flask a large number of caustic potassium or soda and pour in 50-100 ml of water, stir the solution until the crystals are completely dissolved. Next we add a few pieces of aluminum. A reaction will immediately begin with the release of hydrogen and heat, weak at first, but constantly intensifying.

After waiting until the reaction occurs more actively, carefully add another 10 g. alkali and a few pieces of aluminum. This will greatly enhance the process.

We seal the flask, using a test tube with a tube leading the vessel to collect gas. We wait about 3-5 minutes. until hydrogen displaces air from the vessel.

How is hydrogen formed? The oxide film that covers the surface of aluminum is destroyed upon contact with alkali. Since aluminum is active metal, then it begins to react with water, dissolving in it, and hydrogen is released.

2Al + 2NaOH + 6h3O → 2Na + 3h3

Method 2. Hydrogen from aluminum, copper sulfate and table salt.

Pour some copper sulfate and salt into the flask. Add water and stir until completely dissolved. The solution should be colored green color, if this does not happen, add a small amount of salt.

The flask must be placed in a cup filled with cold water, because During the reaction, a large amount of heat will be released.

Add a few pieces of aluminum to the solution. The reaction will begin.

How does hydrogen release occur? In the process, copper chloride is formed, which washes away the oxide film from the metal. Simultaneously with the reduction of copper, gas formation occurs.

Method 3. Hydrogen from zinc and hydrochloric acid.

Place pieces of zinc in a test tube and fill them with hydrochloric acid.

Being an active metal, zinc interacts with acid and displaces hydrogen from it.

Zn + 2HCl → ZnCl2 + h3

Method 4. Hydrogen production by electrolysis.

Pass through a solution of water and boiled salt electricity. During the reaction, hydrogen and oxygen will be released.

Producing hydrogen by electrolysis of water.

I've been wanting to do something like this for a long time. But it didn’t go further than experiments with a battery and a pair of electrodes. I wanted to make a full-fledged device for producing hydrogen, in quantities to inflate a balloon. Before making a full-fledged device for electrolysis of water at home, I decided to test everything on the model.

This model is not suitable for full daily use. But we managed to test the idea. So for the electrodes I decided to use graphite. An excellent source of graphite for electrodes is trolleybus current collector. There are plenty of them lying around at the final stops. It must be remembered that one of the electrodes will be destroyed.

We saw and finalize it with a file. The intensity of electrolysis depends on the current strength and the area of ​​the electrodes. Wires are attached to the electrodes. The wires must be carefully insulated. Plastic bottles are quite suitable for the body of the electrolyser model. Holes are made in the lid for tubes and wires. Everything is carefully coated with sealant.

To connect two containers, cut off bottle necks are suitable. They need to be joined together and the seam melted. Nuts are made from bottle caps. Holes are made in the bottom of two bottles. Everything is connected and carefully filled with sealant.

We will use a 220V household network as a voltage source. I want to warn you that this is a rather dangerous toy. So, if you do not have sufficient skills or have doubts, then it is better not to repeat it. In the household network we have alternating current; for electrolysis it must be rectified. A diode bridge is perfect for this. The one in the photo turned out to be not powerful enough and quickly burned out. The best option was the Chinese MB156 diode bridge in an aluminum housing.

The diode bridge gets very hot. Active cooling will be required. A cooler for a computer processor is perfect. You can use a suitable size junction box for the housing. Sold in electrical goods.

Several layers of cardboard must be placed under the diode bridge. The necessary holes are made in the cover of the junction box. This is what the assembled installation looks like. The electrolyzer is powered from the mains, the fan from a universal power source. A baking soda solution is used as an electrolyte. Here you need to remember that the higher the concentration of the solution, the higher the reaction rate. But at the same time the heating is higher. Moreover, the decomposition reaction of sodium at the cathode will contribute to heating. This reaction is exothermic. As a result, hydrogen and sodium hydroxide will be formed.

The device in the photo above got very hot. I had to turn it off periodically and wait until it cooled down. The heating problem was partially solved by cooling the electrolyte. For this I used a tabletop fountain pump. A long tube runs from one bottle to another through a pump and a bucket of cold water.

It is good to provide the place where the tube is connected to the ball with a tap. Sold in pet stores in the aquarium section.

Basic knowledge of classical electrolysis.

The principle of efficiency of an electrolyzer for producing h3 and O2 gas.

Surely everyone knows that if you dip two nails in a solution of baking soda and apply plus to one nail and minus to the other, then Hydrogen will be released at the minus, and Oxygen at the plus.

Now our task is to find an approach to get as much of this gas as possible and spend minimal amount electricity.

Lesson 1. Tension

Water decomposition begins when a little more than 1.8 volts is applied to the electrodes. If you apply 1 volt, then practically no current flows and no gas is released, but when the voltage approaches 1.8 volts, the current begins to rise sharply. It's called minimal electrode potential at which electrolysis begins. Therefore, if we supply 12 volts to these 2 nails, then such an electrolyzer will consume a lot of electricity, but there will be little gas. All the energy will go into heating the electrolyte.

For that. In order for our electrolyzer to be economical, we must supply no more than 2 volts per cell. Therefore, if we have 12 volts, we divide them into 6 cells and get 2 volts on each.

Now let’s simplify it - just divide the capacity into 6 parts with plates - the result will be 6 cells connected in series; each cell will have 2 volts; each internal plate on one side will be a plus, and on the other - a minus. So - lesson number 1 learned = apply low voltage.

Now the 2nd lesson of economy: Distance between plates

How longer distance- the greater the resistance, the more current we will spend to produce a liter of gas. The shorter the distance, the less we will spend Watt per Hour per Liter of gas. Further I will use this very term - an indicator of the efficiency of the electrolyser / From the graph it is clear that the closer the plates are to each other, the less voltage is required to pass the same current. And as you know, the gas yield is directly proportional to the amount of current passing through the electrolyte.

Multiplying a lower voltage by a current - we get fewer watts for the same amount of gas.

Now the 3rd lesson. Plate area

If we take 2 nails and, using the first two rules, place them close and apply 2 volts to them, then there will be very little gas, since they will pass very little current. Let's try to take two plates under the same conditions. Now the amount of current and gas will be increased in direct proportion to the area of ​​these plates.

Now 4th lesson: Electrolyte concentration

Using the first 3 rules, let's take large iron plates at a small distance from each other and apply 2 volts to them. And put them in some water, adding one pinch of soda. Electrolysis will proceed, but very sluggishly, the water will heat up. There will be a lot of ions in the solution, the resistance will be small, the heating will decrease and the amount of gas will increase

Sources: 505sovetov.ru, all-he.ru, zabatsay.ru, xn----dtbbgbt6ann0jm3a.xn--p1ai, domashnih-usloviyah.ru

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