CHAPTER - 7

HYDROGEN
Points to Remember:

1. Hydrogen is the most abundant element found in the universe.

2. Hydrogen is much more common in the form of compounds. The most important
compound of hydrogen is water.
3. The chief sources of hydrogen are water, acids and alkalies.
4. Hydrogen is prepared by the action of water, acids or alkalies on active metals.
5. Electrolysis of water results in the formation of hydrogen and oxygen.
6. Hydrogen is lighter than air.
7. Hydrogen bums in air with pop sound.
8. Hydrogen acts as a reducing agent.
9. Hydrogen is used to produce oxyhydrogen flame and in weather forecast balloons.

Exercise
1. Fill in the blanks:

(a) Hydrogen is lighter than air.

(b) Hydrogen is sparingly soluble in water.
(c) Hydrogen bums with a oxyhydrogen pale blue flame and pop sound is heard.
(d) A metal sodium hydrogen in the reactivity series gives hydrogen with water.
(e) Hydrogen reacts with metal oxides to form metal and water.
(f) Oxidation is the removal of hydrogen and addition of oxygen.
(g) In redox reaction oxidation and reduction occur simultaneously.

2. Indicate which of the following statements are true and which are false:

(a) Hydrogen molecule is monovalent.

(b) The removal of hydrogen from a substance is called reduction.
(c) Nitric acid can not be used to prepare hydrogen by its action on active metals ?
(d) The reaction between hydrogen and nitrogen to form ammonia is reversible.
(e) Zinc can liberate hydrogen from water, acid and alkali solution.
(f) Hydrogen is combustible as well as a supporter of combustion.
(g) Hydrogen gas is easily liquefiable.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) True
(c) False. Hydrogen cannot be prepared by the action of nitric acid on metals because it also
releases nitrous oxide and nitric oxide.
(d) True
(e) True
(f) False
(g) False

3. Complete and balance the following equations:

4. Give reasons for the following:

(a) Hydrogen be used as a fuel?

(b) Though hydrogen is lighter than air it cannot be collected by downward displacement
of air.
(c) A pop sound produced when hydrogen is burnt?
(d) Helium replaced hydrogen in weather observation balloons?
(e) Nitric acid not used for the preparation of hydrogen gas?
(a) Because of its high heat of combustion, it is used as a fuel.
Answer:

(a) Coal gas, water gas and liquid hydrogen are some significant fuel.

(b) Since hydrogen is lighter than air. it is possible to collect the gas by downward
displacement of air. But it is not safe to do so since a mixture of hydrogen and air can
lead to an explosion.

(c) Impure hydrogen gas bums in air with a pop sound. This is because of the presence
of impurities in it.

(d) If there is small leakage of hydrogen in a balloon, it forms a mixture with air that can
explode. So helium has replaced hydrogen.

(e) Hydrogen cannot be prepared by the action of nitric acid on metals because it also
releases nitrous oxide and nitric oxide and oxides the hydrogen to form water.

5. Name the following:

(a) Two metals which give hydrogen with cold water.
(b) A metal which liberates hydrogen only when steam is passed over red hot metal.
(c) The process in which oxygen is added or hydrogen is removed.
(d) A metallic oxide which can be reduced into metal by hydrogen.
Answer:
(a) Sodium (Na) and Potassium (K) give hydrogen with cold water.
(b) Iron
(c) Oxidation
(d) Copper oxide (CuO)

6. (a) Name the chemicals required to prepare hydrogen

gas in the laboratory.
(b) Give a balanced chemical equation for the reaction.
(c) Draw a neat and well-labelled diagram for the laboratory preparation
ofhydrogen.
(d) How is hydrogen gas collected?
Answer:
(a) Granulated Zinc and dil. Hydrochloric acid.
(b) Zn + 2 HCl → ZnCl2 + H2 (g)
(c)

(d) Hydrogen gas is collected by the down-ward displacement of water.

7. How would you show that hydrogen:

(a) is a non-supporter of combustion?
(b) is lighter than air?
Answer:
(a) Hold a hydrogen gas filled jar with its mouth downwards.
Place a lighted candle inside the jar. The candle gets extinguished but the gas bums
with a pop sound. This shows that hydrogen is non-supporter of combustion.

(b) Take a delivery tube and place one of its ends in a soap solution kept in a trough
and the other one in a flat bottom jar as shown in the figure. The soap bubbles
containing hydrogen rise upward the air. The rising soap bubbles prove that hydrogen is
lighter than air.
Hydrogen-filled soap bubbles rising upward in the soap solution and into the air shows
that hydrogen is lighter than air.

8. Hydrogen is a good reducing agent: What do you understand by the above

statement? Explain with the help of copper oxide as an example.
Answer:
Hydrogen acts as a good reducing agent means, when hydrogen gas is passed over hot
metallic oxides of copper, lead, iron, etc. it removes oxygen from them and thus reduces
them to their corresponding metal.
Let us consider the following example, in each of which metallic oxide react with
hydrogen. Metallic oxide act as oxidising agents and hydrogen acts as a reducing
agents.

9. (a) Name a process by which hydrogen gas is manufactured.

(b) Give equations for the reactions.
(c) How is hydrogen separated from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide?
Answer:
(a) Commercially, hydrogen is prepared by Bosch process.
(b) (i) Steam is passed over hot coke at 1000°C in a furnace called converters. As a
result water gas is produced which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen
gases.

This reaction is endothermic in nature.

(ii) Water gas is mixed with excess of steam and passed over a catalyst ferric oxide
(Fe2O3) and a promotor chromium trioxide (Cr2O3).

This reaction is exothermic in nature

(c) (i) The products are hydrogen, carbon dioxide and some
unreacted carbon monoxide. Hydrogen is separated from carbon dioxide by passing the
mixture through water under pressure, in which carbon dioxide gets dissolved leaving
behind hydrogen. Carbon dioxide can also be separated by passing it through caustic
potash (KOH) solution.
2KOH + CO2 → K2CO3 + H2O
(ii) To separate carbon monoxide the gaseous mixture is passed through ammoniacal
cuprous chloride in which carbon monoxide dissolves leaving behind hydrogen.

Thus hydrogen gas is obtained.

10. Match the statements in Column A with those in Column B.

11. State four uses of hydrogen:

Answer:

1. Hydrogen with oxygen produce oxy-hydrogen flame which is used for cutting and
welding.
2. Hydrogen gas is used as a fuel.
3. Hydrogen is used for hydrogenation of vegetable oil.
 4. Hydrogen gas is used extensively in the manufacture of ammonia gas, which is
used to produce fertilizers.

12. Define:
(a) catalytic hydrogenation (b) oxidation
(c) reduction (d) redox reaction
Answer:
(a) Catalytic hydrogenation: catalytic hydrogenation is a process by which hydrogen
gas is passed through vegetable oils in the presence of catalyst like Ni, Pt or Pd to
convert them into solid vanaspati ghee.

(b) Oxidation: A reaction in which a substance combine with oxygen or in which

hydrogen is removed is called oxidation reaction.
Example: H2S + Cl → 2HCl + S

(c) Reduction: Those reactions in which hydrogen combines with a substance or

oxygen is removed from a substance, are known as reduction reactions.

(d) Redox reaction: Redox reactions are those in which reduction and oxidation both
takes place simultaneously i.e. one substance is reduced while the other gets oxidised.

13. Multiple Choice Questions

(a) Equal volumes of hydrogen and chlorine are exposed to diffused sunlight to
prepare

1. hydrogen chloride
2. water
3. sodium hydroxide
4. hydrochloric acid

(b) The metal which reacts with cold water to produce hydrogen is

1. magnesium
2. aluminium
3. calcium
4. iron
(c) In metal activity series the more reactive metals are at

1. top
2. bottom
3. middle
4. none

(d) Hydrogen is responsible for producing

1. heat and light

2. hydrogenated oil
3. fertilizers
4. all of the above

(e) Hydrogen is

1. combustible
2. non-combustible
3. supporter of combustion
4. neither supporter nor combustible

(f) Water gas is a mixture of

1. carbon monoxide and oxygen

2. carbon monoxide and hydrogen
3. hydrogen and oxygen
4. hydrogen and nitrogen.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

Tick the most appropriate answer.

1. The name hydrogen was given by

1. Cavendish
2. Lavoisier
3. Haber
4. none of these

2. Which is the lightest of all elements?

1. hydrogen
2. helium
3. lithium
4. none of these
3. Hydrogen burns in oxygen to form

1. hydrogen sulphide
2. nitrates
3. water
4. ammonia

4. The process of adding oxygen to a substance is called

1. oxidation.
2. reduction.
3. displacement.
4. hydrogenation.

FILL IN THE BLANKS

1. Hydrogen means ‘maker of water’ in Greek.

2. In nature, hydrogen occurs as a diatomic molecule represented as H2.
3. Sodium liberates hydrogen when treated with cold water.
4. Granulated zinc is preferred over pure zinc in the laboratory preparation of
hydrogen.
5. The compounds of carbon and hydrogen are called hydrocarbons.
6. Hydrogen is present abundantly in the atmosphere.
7. In electrolysis of water, dilute sulphuric acid is added to increase conductivity
current of water.
8. Ammonia is used to make fertilizers.

TRUE \ FALSE

Write true or false for each statement. Rewrite the false statements correctly.

1. Lead reacts briskly with dilute hydrochloric acid to form hydrogen.

False. Lead reacts very slowly with dilute hydrocloric acid to form hydrogen.
2. Hydrogen does not combine with nitrogen under ordinary conditions.
True.
3. Copper reacts with hot water to form copper oxide and hydrogen.
False. Copper does not react with water.
4. Hydrogen is a good oxidizing agent.
False. Hydrogen is a reducing agent.
MATCH THE COLUMNS
WRITE SHORT ANSWERS

Question 1.
Why is granulated zinc preferred in the laboratory preparation of hydrogen?
Answer:
Granulated zinc contains traces of copper as an impurity which acts as a catalyst. It also
prevents the deposition of the gas on zinc.

Question 2.
Give a test to identify hydrogen gas.
Answer:
Hydrogen is a highly inflammable gas which bums with a ‘pop’ sound and blue flame
and forms water.

Question 3.
Hydrogen gas is collected by the downward displacement of water. Give reason.
Answer:
Hydrogen gas is collected by the downward displacement of water because hydrogen
gas is practically insoluble in water.

Question 4.
Write two physical properties of hydrogen.
Answer:
Physical properties of hydrogen gas

1. It is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas.

2. It is highly inflammable and bums with a blue flame.

Question 5.
What is hydrogenation?
Answer:
Hydrogenation is a process in which vegetable oils are converted into fats on treating
with hydrogen.

ANSWER IN DETAIL

Question 1.
Discuss the occurrence of hydrogen in the universe and on the earth.
Answer:
Hydrogen is the most abundant element on Earth. It is present in large amounts in stars
and sun. In our atmosphere and Earth’s crust, it is found in very small amount.
Hydrogen compounds are found abundantally e.g. acids, bases and hydrocarbons.
Nearly three fourth of earth’s surface is covered with water which is formed from
hydrogen itself.

Question 2.
How do different metals displace hydrogen from water? Explain with the help of
equations.
Answer:
Almost all metals react with water but with different intensities.

1. Sodium and potassium react violently with cold water to an extent that hydrogen
gas so produced catches fire.

2. Calcium reacts less violently with water.

Ca + 2H2O → Ca(OH)2 + H2 ↑
3. Magnesium reacts with hot water to form magnesium oxide and hydrogen.
Mg + H2O → MgO + H2 ↑
4. Metals like aluminium zinc and iron reacts only with steam.

5. Metals like gold, silver and copper do not react with water.

Question 3.
Describe two chemical properties of hydrogen with equations.
Answer:
Chemical properties of hydrogen gas:

1. Reaction with oxygen: Hydrogen bums with a pale blue flame in air or oxygen
forming water. This reaction is highly explosive.

2. Reaction with chlorine: Hydrogen reacts with chlorine in diffused sunlight to form
hydrogen chloride.
Question 4.
Why is hydrogen called a reducing agent? Give chemical equation to support your
answer.
Answer:
Hydrogen has the capacity to remove oxygen from a number of metal oxide. Therefore
hydrogen is a good reducing agent.

Question 5.
Discuss the use of hydrogen as a fuel.
Answer:
Liquid hydrogen is used as a fuel in rockets and guided missiles. Hydrogen can also be
used as a fuel in automobiles. Researches are being done to discover use of hydrogen
as an alternative source of energy in future since this would cut down pollution also.