General Information About Hydrogen

Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, flammable and nontoxic gas. The gas burns in air with and almost invisible light blue color. When mixed with air or oxygen, it has an ignition temperature between 566oC and 579oC. At temperatures of less than -253oC, hydrogen is in liquid form.

Hydrogen has a vast application spectrum beyond its value as a fuel gas. It is used in the production of carbon steels, special metals and semiconductors. In the electronics industry, it is widely employed as a reducing agent and as a carrier gas. High-purity hydrogen is also used as a carrier gas in gas chromatography.

Hydrogen is used by refineries, petrochemical and bulk chemical facilities for hydro treating, catalytic reforming, and hydro cracking. Hydrogen is used for production of chemicals, such as dyes, catalysts, flavors, fragrance, pesticides, halogen organics, plastic and synthetic fibers, and petroleum. It can also be used for heat treating, metal production, welding and cutting. Food companies use hydrogen to hydrogenate fats, oil and fatty acids for the products such as oleomargarine, soap and industrial greases and oils. In addition, hydrogen is used by glass manufactures in the production of glass and by electronics manufactures for production of semiconductors. Liquid hydrogen is used as a fuel for missiles and rockets, as well as in laboratory research.