Question

Explain the following terms:
i.Hydrogen economy
ii.Hydrogenation
iii.Syngas
iv.Water-gas shift reaction
v.Fuel-cell

Answer 1

Hydrogen economy is the efficient use of hydrogen form of a liquid or gas. Hydrogen is the first element in the periodic table and exists as a diatomic molecule in nature. It can be produced by the reaction of steam on coke. It is an important industrial fuel because it is easy to make and it burns producing a lot of heat.

Complete step by step answer:
i.Hydrogen economy-It is the use of hydrogen in an efficient way. Its basic principle is the easy transportation and storage in the form of liquid or gas.. Hydrogen fuel releases more energy than even gasoline or petrol. It is considered as a possible source of clean energy. Its main advantage is that energy is transmitted in the form of dihydrogen and not an electric power. Its uses are-
a.Hydrogen is used as a non-polluting fuel as it is eco-friendly.
b.It is used in fuel cells for generation of electric power.
ii.Hydrogenation- When hydrogen is added to another reactant like organic compounds containing double or triple bonds in presence of a catalyst then this process is called hydrogenation.
iii.Syngas-It is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is also called synthesis gas or water gas. It is produced when steam is passed on hydrocarbons or methanol at high temperature in the presence of a catalyst. The reaction is given as-
$C{H_4} + {H_2}O\xrightarrow[{Ni}]{{1270K}}CO + {H_2}$
iv.Water-gas shift reaction- The reaction of carbon monoxide of Syngas with steam in presence of a catalyst (iron chromate) at $673K$ is called water gas shift reaction. The reaction is given as-
$CO + {H_2}O\xrightarrow[{FeCr{O_4}}]{{673K}}C{O_2} + {H_2}$
Here the reaction increases the yield of hydrogen when coal gas is converted into carbon monoxide
v.Fuel-cell-It is a cell in which energy released during combustion of fuels is converted into electrical energy. They are also called galvanic cells. In this cell, electrolyte is used to produce electricity.

Note:
Hydrogen has many uses-
1.It is used as a reducing agent in laboratory and industry.
2.It is used in the manufacture of vanaspati fat.
3.It is used in manufacture of ammonia gas.
4.It is used in the manufacture of synthetic petrol.
5.It is used in atomic hydrogen torches and oxy hydrogen torches for cutting and welding.