Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry

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Question 9.1:
Justify the position of hydrogen in the periodic table on the basis of its electronic
configuration.
Answer
Hydrogen is the first element of the periodic table. Its electronic configuration is [1s
1
].
Due to the presence of only one electron in its 1s shell, hydrogen exhibits a dual
behaviour, i.e., it resembles both alkali metals and halogens.
Resemblance with alkali metals:
1. Like alkali metals, hydrogen contains one valence electron in its valency shell.
H : 1s
1

Li : [He] 2s
1

Hence, it can lose one electron to form a unipositive ion.
2. Like alkali metals, hydrogen combines with electronegative elements to form oxides,
halides, and sulphides.
Resemblance with halogens:
1. Both hydrogen and halogens require one electron to complete their octets.
H : 1s
1

F : 1s
2
2s
2
2p
5

Cl : 1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
5

Hence, hydrogen can gain one electron to form a uninegative ion.
2. Like halogens, it forms a diatomic molecule and several covalent compounds.
Though hydrogen shows some similarity with both alkali metals and halogens, it differs
from them on some grounds. Unlike alkali metals, hydrogen does not possess metallic
characteristics. On the other hand, it possesses a high ionization enthalpy. Also, it is less
reactive than halogens.
Owing to these reasons, hydrogen cannot be placed with alkali metals (group I) or with
halogens (group VII). In addition, it was also established that H
+
ions cannot exist freely
as they are extremely small. H
+
ions are always associated with other atoms or
molecules. Hence, hydrogen is best placed separately in the periodic table.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Question 9.2:
Write the names of isotopes of hydrogen. What is the mass ratio of these isotopes?
Answer
Hydrogen has three isotopes. They are:
1. Protium, ,
2. Deuterium, or D, and
3. Tritium, or T
The mass ratio of protium, deuterium and tritium is 1:2:3.
Question 9.3:
Why does hydrogen occur in a diatomic form rather than in a monoatomic form under
normal conditions?
Answer
The ionization enthalpy of hydrogen atom is very high (1312 kJ mol
1
). Hence, it is very
hard to remove its only electron. As a result, its tendency to exist in the monoatomic
form is rather low. Instead, hydrogen forms a covalent bond with another hydrogen
atom and exists as a diatomic (H
2
) molecule.
Question 9.4:
How can the production of dihydrogen, obtained from coal gasification, be increased?
Answer
Dihydrogen is produced by coal gasification method as:
The yield of dihydrogen (obtained from coal gasification) can be increased by reacting
carbon monoxide (formed during the reaction) with steam in the presence of iron
chromate as a catalyst.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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This reaction is called the water-gas shift reaction. Carbon dioxide is removed by
scrubbing it with a solution of sodium arsenite.
Question 9.5:
Describe the bulk preparation of dihydrogen by electrolytic method. What is the role of
an electrolyte in this process?
Answer
Dihydrogen is prepared by the electrolysis of acidified or alkaline water using platinum
electrodes. Generally, 15 20% of an acid (H
2
SO
4
) or a base (NaOH) is used.
Reduction of water occurs at the cathode as:
At the anode, oxidation of OH

ions takes place as:

Net reaction can be represented as:
Electrical conductivity of pure water is very low owing to the absence of ions in it.
Therefore, electrolysis of pure water also takes place at a low rate. If an electrolyte such
as an acid or a base is added to the process, the rate of electrolysis increases. The
addition of the electrolyte makes the ions available in the process for the conduction of
electricity and for electrolysis to take place.
Question 9.6:
Complete the following reactions:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
Answer
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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(i)
(iii)
Question 9.7:
Discuss the consequences of high enthalpy of HH bond in terms of chemical reactivity
of dihydrogen.
Answer
The ionization enthalpy of HH bond is very high (1312 kJ mol
1
). This indicates that
hydrogen has a low tendency to form H
+
ions. Its ionization enthalpy value is
comparable to that of halogens. Hence, it forms diatomic molecules (H
2
), hydrides with
elements, and a large number of covalent bonds.
Since ionization enthalpy is very high, hydrogen does not possess metallic characteristics
(lustre, ductility, etc.) like metals.
Question 9.8:
What do you understand by (i) electron-deficient, (ii) electron-precise, and (iii) electron-
rich compounds of hydrogen? Provide justification with suitable examples.
Answer
Molecular hydrides are classified on the basis of the presence of the total number of
electrons and bonds in their Lewis structures as:
1. Electron-deficient hydrides
2. Electron-precise hydrides
3. Electron-rich hydrides
An electron-deficient hydride has very few electrons, less than that required for
representing its conventional Lewis structure e.g. diborane (B
2
H
6
). In B
2
H
6
, there are six
bonds in all, out of which only four bonds are regular two centered-two electron bonds.
The remaining two bonds are three centered-two electron bonds i.e., two electrons are
shared by three atoms. Hence, its conventional Lewis structure cannot be drawn.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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An electron-precise hydride has a sufficient number of electrons to be represented by its
conventional Lewis structure e.g. CH
4
. The Lewis structure can be written as:
Four regular bonds are formed where two electrons are shared by two atoms.
An electron-rich hydride contains excess electrons as lone pairs e.g. NH
3.

There are three regular bonds in all with a lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom.
Question 9.9:
What characteristics do you expect from an electron-deficient hydride with respect to its
structure and chemical reactions?
Answer
An electron-deficient hydride does not have sufficient electrons to form a regular bond in
which two electrons are shared by two atoms e.g., B
2
H
6
, Al
2
H
6
etc.
These hydrides cannot be represented by conventional Lewis structures. B
2
H
6
, for
example, contains four regular bonds and two three centered-two electron bond. Its
structure can be represented as:
Since these hydrides are electron-deficient, they have a tendency to accept electrons.
Hence, they act as Lewis acids.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Question 9.10:
Do you expect the carbon hydrides of the type (C
n
H
2n + 2
) to act as Lewis acid or base?
Justify your answer.
Answer
For carbon hydrides of type C
n
H
2n + 2
, the following hydrides are possible for
For a hydride to act as a Lewis acid i.e., electron accepting, it should be electron-
deficient. Also, for it to act as a Lewis base i.e., electron donating, it should be electron-
rich.
Taking C
2
H
6
as an example, the total number of electrons are 14 and the total covalent
bonds are seven. Hence, the bonds are regular 2e

-2 centered bonds.
Hence, hydride C
2
H
6
has sufficient electrons to be represented by a conventional Lewis
structure. Therefore, it is an electron-precise hydride, having all atoms with complete
octets. Thus, it can neither donate nor accept electrons to act as a Lewis acid or Lewis
base.
Question 9.11:
What do you understand by the term non-stoichiometric hydrides? Do you expect this
type of the hydrides to be formed by alkali metals? Justify your answer.
Answer
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Non-Stoichiometric hydrides are hydrogen-deficient compounds formed by the reaction
of dihydrogen with d-block and f-block elements. These hydrides do not follow the law of
constant composition. For example: LaH
2.87
, YbH
2.55
, TiH
1.5 1.8
etc.
Alkali metals form stoichiometric hydrides. These hydrides are ionic in nature. Hydride
ions have comparable sizes (208 pm) with alkali metal ions. Hence, strong binding forces
exist between the constituting metal and hydride ion. As a result, stoichiometric hydrides
are formed.
Alkali metals will not form non-stoichiometric hydrides.
Question 9.12:
How do you expect the metallic hydrides to be useful for hydrogen storage? Explain.
Answer
Metallic hydrides are hydrogen deficient, i.e., they do not hold the law of constant
composition. It has been established that in the hydrides of Ni, Pd, Ce, and Ac, hydrogen
occupies the interstitial position in lattices allowing further absorption of hydrogen on
these metals. Metals like Pd, Pt, etc. have the capacity to accommodate a large volume
of hydrogen. Therefore, they are used for the storage of hydrogen and serve as a source
of energy.
Question 9.13:
How does the atomic hydrogen or oxy-hydrogen torch function for cutting and welding
purposes? Explain.
Answer
Atomic hydrogen atoms are produced by the dissociation of dihydrogen with the help of
an electric arc. This releases a huge amount of energy (435.88 kJ mol
1
). This energy
can be used to generate a temperature of 4000 K, which is ideal for welding and cutting
metals. Hence, atomic hydrogen or oxy-hydrogen torches are used for these purposes.
For this reason, atomic hydrogen is allowed to recombine on the surface to be welded to
generate the desired temperature.
Question 9.14:
Among NH
3
, H
2
O and HF, which would you expect to have highest magnitude of
hydrogen bonding and why?
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Answer
The extent of hydrogen bonding depends upon electronegativity and the number of
hydrogen atoms available for bonding. Among nitrogen, fluorine, and oxygen, the
increasing order of their electronegativities are N < O < F.
Hence, the expected order of the extent of hydrogen bonding is HF > H
2
O > NH
3
.
But, the actual order is H
2
O > HF > NH
3
.
Although fluorine is more electronegative than oxygen, the extent of hydrogen bonding
is higher in water. There is a shortage of hydrogens in HF, whereas there are exactly the
right numbers of hydrogens in water. As a result, only straight chain bonding takes
place. On the other hand, oxygen forms a huge ring-like structure through its high ability
of hydrogen bonding.
In case of ammonia, the extent of hydrogen bonding is limited because nitrogen has only
one lone pair. Therefore, it cannot satisfy all hydrogens.
Question 9.15:
Saline hydrides are known to react with water violently producing fire. Can CO
2
, a well
known fire extinguisher, be used in this case? Explain.
Answer
Saline hydrides (i.e., NaH, LiH, etc.) react with water to form a base and hydrogen gas.
The chemical equation used to represent the reaction can be written as:
The reaction is violent and produces fire.
CO
2
is heavier than dioxygen. It is used as a fire extinguisher because it covers the fire
as a blanket and inhibits the supply of dioxygen, thereby dousing the fire.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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CO
2
can be used in the present case as well. It is heavier than dihydrogen and will be
effective in isolating the burning surface from dihydrogen and dioxygen.
Question 9.16:
Arrange the following
(i) CaH
2
, BeH
2
and TiH
2
in order of increasing electrical conductance.
(ii) LiH, NaH and CsH in order of increasing ionic character.
(iii) HH, DD and FF in order of increasing bond dissociation enthalpy.
(iv) NaH, MgH
2
and H
2
O in order of increasing reducing property.
Answer
(i) The electrical conductance of a molecule depends upon its ionic or covalent nature.
Ionic compounds conduct, whereas covalent compounds do not.
BeH
2
is a covalent hydride. Hence, it does not conduct. CaH
2
is an ionic hydride, which
conducts electricity in the molten state. Titanium hydride, TiH
2
is metallic in nature and
conducts electricity at room temperature. Hence, the increasing order of electrical
conductance is as follows:
BeH
2
< CaH
2
< TiH
2

(ii) The ionic character of a bond is dependent on the electronegativities of the atoms
involved. The higher the difference between the electronegativities of atoms, the smaller
is the ionic character.
Electronegativity decreases down the group from Lithium to Caesium. Hence, the ionic
character of their hydrides will increase (as shown below).
LiH < NaH < CsH
(iii) Bond dissociation energy depends upon the bond strength of a molecule, which in
turn depends upon the attractive and repulsive forces present in a molecule.
The bond pair in DD bond is more strongly attracted by the nucleus than the bond pair
in HH bond. This is because of the higher nuclear mass of D
2
. The stronger the
attraction, the greater will be the bond strength and the higher is the bond dissociation
enthalpy. Hence, the bond dissociation enthalpy of DD is higher than HH.
However, bond dissociation enthalpy is the minimum in the case of FF. The bond pair
experiences strong repulsion from the lone pairs present on each F-centre.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Therefore, the increasing order of bond dissociation enthalpy is as follows:
FF < HH < DD
(iv) Ionic hydrides are strong reducing agents. NaH can easily donate its electrons.
Hence, it is most reducing in nature.
Both, MgH
2
and H
2
O are covalent hydrides. H
2
O is less reducing than MgH
2
since the
bond dissociation energy of H
2
O is higher than MgH
2
.
Hence, the increasing order of the reducing property is H
2
O < MgH
2
< NaH.
Question 9.17:
Compare the structures of H
2
O and H
2
O
2
.
Answer
In gaseous phase, water molecule has a bent form with a bond angle of 104.5. The OH
bond length is 95.7 pm. The structure can be shown as:
Hydrogen peroxide has a non-planar structure both in gas and solid phase. The dihedral
angle in gas and solid phase is 111.5 and 90.2 respectively.
Question 9.18:
What do you understand by the term auto-protolysis of water? What is its significance?
Answer
Auto-protolysis (self-ionization) of water is a chemical reaction in which two water
molecules react to produce a hydroxide ion (OH

) and a hydronium ion (H

3
O
+
).
The reaction involved can be represented as:
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Auto-protolysis of water indicates its amphoteric nature i.e., its ability to act as an acid
as well as a base.
The acid-base reaction can be written as:
Question 9.19:
Consider the reaction of water with F
2
and suggest, in terms of oxidation and reduction,
which species are oxidized/reduced.
Answer
The reaction between fluorine and water can be represented as:
This is an example of a redox reaction as water is getting oxidized to oxygen, while
fluorine is being reduced to fluoride ion.
The oxidation numbers of various species can be represented as:
Fluorine is reduced from zero to ( 1) oxidation state. A decrease in oxidation state
indicates the reduction of fluorine.
Water is oxidized from ( 2) to zero oxidation state. An increase in oxidation state
indicates oxidation of water.
Question 9.20:
Complete the following chemical reactions.
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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(iv)
(v)
Classify the above into (a) hydrolysis, (b) redox and (c) hydration reactions.
Answer
(i)
H
2
O
2
is acting as an oxidizing agent in the reaction. Hence, it is a redox reaction.
(ii)
is acting as a reducing agent in the acidic medium, thereby oxidizing .
Hence, the given reaction is a redox reaction.
(iii)
The reactions in which a compound reacts with water to produce other compounds are
called hydrolysis reactions. The given reaction is hydrolysis.
(iv)
The reactions in which a compound reacts with water to produce other compounds are
called hydrolysis reactions. The given reaction represents hydrolysis of AlCl
3.

(v)
The reactions in which a compound reacts with water to produce other compounds are
called hydrolysis reactions. The given reaction represents hydrolysis of Ca
3
N
2
.
Question 9.21:
Describe the structure of the common form of ice.
Answer
Ice is the crystalline form of water. It takes a hexagonal form if crystallized at
atmospheric pressure, but condenses to cubic form if the temperature is very low.
The three-dimensional structure of ice is represented as:
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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The structure is highly ordered and has hydrogen bonding. Each oxygen atom is
surrounded tetrahedrally by four other oxygen atoms at a distance of 276 pm. The
structure also contains wide holes that can hold molecules of appropriate sizes
interstitially.
Question 9.22:
What causes the temporary and permanent hardness of water?
Answer
Temporary hardness of water is due to the presence of soluble salts of magnesium and
calcium in the form of hydrogen carbonates (MHCO
3
, where M = Mg, Ca) in water.
Permanent hardness of water is because of the presence of soluble salts of calcium and
magnesium in the form of chlorides in water.
Question 9.23:
Discuss the principle and method of softening of hard water by synthetic ion-exchange
resins.
Answer
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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The process of treating permanent hardness of water using synthetic resins is based on
the exchange of cations (e.g., Na
+
, Ca
2+
, Mg
2+
etc) and anions (e.g., Cl

, SO
4
2
, HCO
3

etc) present in water by H
+
and OH

ions respectively.
Synthetic resins are of two types:
1) Cation exchange resins
2) Anion exchange resins
Cation exchange resins are large organic molecules that contain the SO
3
H group. The
resin is firstly changed to RNa (from RSO
3
H) by treating it with NaCl. This resin then
exchanges Na
+
ions with Ca
2+
and Mg
2+
ions, thereby making the water soft.
There are cation exchange resins in H
+
form. The resins exchange H
+
ions for Na
+
, Ca
2+
,
and Mg
2+
ions.
Anion exchange resins exchange OH

ions for anions like Cl

, , and SO
4
2
present
in water.
During the complete process, water first passes through the cation exchange process.
The water obtained after this process is free from mineral cations and is acidic in nature.
This acidic water is then passed through the anion exchange process where OH

ions
neutralize the H
+
ions and de-ionize the water obtained.
Question 9.24:
Write chemical reactions to show the amphoteric nature of water.
Answer
The amphoteric nature of water can be described on the basis of the following reactions:
1) Reaction with H
2
S
The reaction takes place as:
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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In the forward reaction, accepts a proton from . Hence, it acts as a Lewis
base.
2) Reaction with NH
3

The reaction takes place as:
In the forward reaction, denotes its proton to . Hence, it acts as a Lewis
acid.
3) Self-ionization of water
In the reaction, two water molecules react as:
Question 9.25:
Write chemical reactions to justify that hydrogen peroxide can function as an oxidizing as
well as reducing agent.
Answer
Hydrogen peroxide, H
2
O
2
acts as an oxidizing as well as a reducing agent in both acidic
and alkaline media.
Reactions involving oxidizing actions are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Reactions involving reduction actions are:
1)
2)
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3)
4)
Question 9.26:
What is meant by demineralised water and how can it be obtained?
Answer
Demineralised water is free from all soluble mineral salts. It does not contain any anions
or cations.
Demineralised water is obtained by passing water successively through a cation
exchange (in the H
+
form) and an anion exchange (in the OH

form) resin.
During the cation exchange process, H
+
exchanges for Na
+
, Mg
2+
, Ca
2+
, and other
cations present in water.
. (1)
In the anion exchange process, OH

exchanges for anions such as

etc. present in water.
OH

ions liberated in reaction (2) neutralize H

+
ions liberated in reaction (1), thereby
forming water.
Question 9.27:
Is demineralised or distilled water useful for drinking purposes? If not, how can it be
made useful?
Answer
Water is an important part of life. It contains several dissolved nutrients that are
required by human beings, plants, and animals for survival. Demineralised water is free
of all soluble minerals. Hence, it is not fit for drinking.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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It can be made useful only after the addition of desired minerals in specific amounts,
which are important for growth.
Question 9.28:
Describe the usefulness of water in biosphere and biological systems.
Answer
Water is essential for all forms of life. It constitutes around 65% of the human body and
95% of plants. Water plays an important role in the biosphere owing to its high specific
heat, thermal conductivity, surface tension, dipole moment, and dielectric constant.
The high heat of vapourization and heat of capacity of water helps in moderating the
climate and body temperature of all living beings.
It acts as a carrier of various nutrients required by plants and animals for various
metabolic reactions.
Question 9.29:
What properties of water make it useful as a solvent? What types of compound can it (i)
dissolve, and (ii) hydrolyse?
Answer
A high value of dielectric constants (78.39 C
2
/Nm
2
) and dipole moment make water a
universal solvent.
Water is able to dissolve most ionic and covalent compounds. Ionic compounds dissolve
in water because of the ion-dipole interaction, whereas covalent compounds form
hydrogen bonding and dissolve in water.
Water can hydrolyze metallic and non-metallic oxides, hydrides, carbides, phosphides,
nitrides and various other salts. During hydrolysis, H
+
and OH

ions of water interact

with the reacting molecule.
Some reactions are:
Question 9.30:
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Knowing the properties of H
2
O and D
2
O, do you think that D
2
O can be used for drinking
purposes?
Answer
Heavy water (D
2
O) acts as a moderator, i.e., it slows the rate of a reaction. Due to this
property of D
2
O, it cannot be used for drinking purposes because it will slow down
anabolic and catabolic reactions taking place in the body and lead to a casualty.
Question 9.31:
What is the difference between the terms hydrolysis and hydration?
Answer
Hydrolysis is defined as a chemical reaction in which hydrogen and hydroxide ions (H
+

and OH

ions) of water molecule react with a compound to form products. For example:
Hydration is defined as the addition of one or more water molecules to ions or molecules
to form hydrated compounds. For example:
Question 9.32:
How can saline hydrides remove traces of water from organic compounds?
Answer
Saline hydrides are ionic in nature. They react with water to form a metal hydroxide
along with the liberation of hydrogen gas. The reaction of saline hydrides with water can
be represented as:
(where, A = Na, Ca,)
When added to an organic solvent, they react with water present in it. Hydrogen escapes
into the atmosphere leaving behind the metallic hydroxide. The dry organic solvent
distills over.
Question 9.33:
What do you expect the nature of hydrides is, if formed by elements of atomic
numbers 15, 19, 23 and 44 with dihydrogen? Compare their behaviour towards
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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water.
Answer
The elements of atomic numbers 15, 19, 23, and 44 are nitrogen, potassium, vanadium,
and ruthenium respectively.
1) Hydride of nitrogen
Hydride of nitrogen (NH
3
) is a covalent molecule. It is an electron-rich hydride owing to
the presence of excess electrons as a lone pair on nitrogen.
2) Hydride of potassium
Dihydrogen forms an ionic hydride with potassium owing to the high electropositive
nature of potassium. It is crystalline and non-volatile in nature.
3) Hydrides of Vanadium and Ruthenium
Both vanadium and ruthenium belong to the dblock of the periodic table. The metals of
dblock form metallic or nonstoichiometric hydrides. Hydrides of vanadium and
ruthenium are therefore, metallic in nature having a deficiency of hydrogen.
4) Behaviour of hydrides towards water
Potassium hydride reacts violently with water as:
Ammonia (NH
3
) behaves as a Lewis base and reacts with water as:
Hydrides of vanadium and Ruthenium do not react with water. Hence, the increasing
order of reactivity of the hydrides is (V, Ru) H < NH
3
< KH.
Question 9.34:
Do you expect different products in solution when aluminium (III) chloride and
potassium chloride treated separately with (i) normal water (ii) acidified water, and (iii)
alkaline water? Write equations wherever necessary.
Answer
Potassium chloride (KCl) is the salt of a strong acid (HCl) and strong base (KOH). Hence,
it is neutral in nature and does not undergo hydrolysis in normal water. It dissociates
into ions as follows:
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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In acidified and alkaline water, the ions do not react and remain as such.
Aluminium (III) chloride is the salt of a strong acid (HCl) and weak base [Al(OH)
3
].
Hence, it undergoes hydrolysis in normal water.
In acidified water, H
+
ions react with Al(OH)
3
forming water and giving Al
3+
ions. Hence,
in acidified water, AlCl
3
will exist as and ions.
In alkaline water, the following reaction takes place:
Question 9.35:
How does H
2
O
2
behave as a bleaching agent?
Answer
H
2
O
2
or hydrogen peroxide acts as a strong oxidizing agent both in acidic and basic
media.
When added to a cloth, it breaks the chemical bonds of the chromophores (colour
producing agents). Hence, the visible light is not absorbed and the cloth gets whitened.
Question 9.36:
What do you understand by the terms:
(i) hydrogen economy (ii) hydrogenation (iii) syngas (iv) water-gas shift reaction (v)
fuel-cell ?
Answer
(i) Hydrogen economy
Hydrogen economy is a technique of using dihydrogen in an efficient way. It involves
transportation and storage of dihydrogen in the form of liquid or gas.
Class XI Chapter 9 Hydrogen Chemistry
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Dihydrogen releases more energy than petrol and is more ecofriendly. Hence, it can be
used in fuel cells to generate electric power. Hydrogen economy is about the
transmission of this energy in the form of dihydrogen.
(ii) Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation is the addition of dihydrogen to another reactant. This process is used to
reduce a compound in the presence of a suitable catalyst. For example, hydrogenation of
vegetable oil using nickel as a catalyst gives edible fats such as vanaspati, ghee etc.
(iii) Syngas
Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and dihydrogen. Since the mixture of the two
gases is used for the synthesis of methanol, it is called syngas, synthesis gas, or water
gas.
Syngas is produced on the action of steam with hydrocarbons or coke at a high
temperature in the presence of a catalyst.
(iv) Water shift reaction
It is a reaction of carbon monoxide of syngas mixture with steam in the presence of a
catalyst as:
This reaction is used to increase the yield of dihydrogen obtained from the coal
gasification reaction as:
(v) Fuel cells
Fuel cells are devices for producing electricity from fuel in the presence of an electrolyte.
Dihydrogen can be used as a fuel in these cells. It is preferred over other fuels because
it is eco-friendly and releases greater energy per unit mass of fuel as compared to
gasoline and other fuels.