000 DEGREES F AND CAN BE USED IN CUTTING STEEL. FUEL CELLS TO GENERA...

4,000 degrees F and can be used in cutting steel. Fuel cells to generate electricity operate on hydrogen and oxygen.

Hydrogen also serves to prevent metals from tarnishing during beat treatments by removing the oxygen from

them. Although it would be difficult to remove the oxygen by itself, hydrogen readily combines with oxygen to form

water, which can be heated to steam and easily removed. Furthermore, hydrogen is one of the coolest refrigerants. It

does not become a liquid until it reaches temperatures of-425 degrees F. Pure hydrogen gas is used in large electric

generators to cool the coils.

Future uses of hydrogen include fuel for cars, boats, planes, and other forms of transportation that currently

require petroleum products. These fuels would be lighter, a distinct advantage in the aerospace industry, and they

would also be cleaner, thereby reducing pollution in the atmosphere.

Hydrogen is also useful in the food industry for a process known as hydrogenation. Products such as

margarine and cooking oils are changed from liquids to semisolids by

combining hydrogen with their molecules.

Soap manufacturers also use hydrogen for this purpose. In addition, in the chemical industry, hydrogen is used to

produce ammonia, gasoline, methyl alcohol, and many other important products.