In our modern society, the quest for alternative energy is ever increasing. From new developments in solar energy to wind power, there are many alternatives that currently exist. While the electric vehicle is gaining popularity, there is still relatively low use. Many of this lack of use can be from the lack of current infrastructure in regards to charging stations and simply the amount of time it takes to charge a vehicle. Why would you choose electric when it takes 5 hours to completely charge compared to a gasoline engine that only takes 5 minutes?

In light if this issue, other methods have been proposed to solve our transportation issues. One such method is the use of hydrogen gas. The use of hydrogen to power our vehicles leads to a completely new set of problems all together. Firstly, hydrogen is explosive. Well, actually, hydrogen by itself is not. Hydrogen actually burns quite cleanly without exploding producing only water as the product. See the equation for the combustion of hydrogen below:

So why is there a fear of using hydrogen as a fuel? Well, if you notice in the equation above, there is a specific ratio of hydrogen to oxygen in water. For every 2 hydrogens, there is 1 oxygen. If you burn hydrogen in oxygen and the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen magically gets to that 2:1 value, well this happens:

In the tennis ball can is hydrogen gas. The top of the can is ignited and a hydrogen flame is barely distinguishable. During this process, oxygen is rapidly flowing in through holes in the bottom of the can. As the hydrogen burns, the amount of hydrogen gas is quickly diminishing and is being replaced by oxygen. Then, you see what happens when we get to that 2:1 ratio. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Check back @ thecarbondr.com form more!