Is it true that hydrogen is always bonded to something else?

tommo123

Platinum Member
Sep 25, 2005
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was reading something about the fate of our sun (becoming a red giant etc) and was wondering - in the distant future, what are the chances of us being able to somehow 'tap' into the hydrogen in our sun? wiki says it's 74% of the mass.

sidenote, i was watching an ep of top gear discussing a honda hydrogen fuel cell car and james may mentioned that hydrogen always exists bonded to something else and never on it's own - which means refining etc.

with the right tech in the future, could we (would we if it was easier than getting hydrogen elsewhere) shorten the lifespan of our sun by, well, mining it i guess?

i wouldnt put it past us really since if we shorten the lifespan of the sun a billion years, it will still exist for a damn long time
 

Aberforth

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Oct 12, 2006
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Originally posted by: tommo123

with the right tech in the future, could we (would we if it was easier than getting hydrogen elsewhere) shorten the lifespan of our sun by, well, mining it i guess?

We'd have used up all our natural resources for survival by then so the end is for sure one way or the other. Just lie back and let the planet dissolve.
 

AstroGuardian

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May 8, 2006
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I don't agree with hydrogen being bonded with something else. There are areas of space filled with clean hydrogen. Hydrogen is the first and only element created by nature. All other elements were created inside a stars during their lifespan and blasted to space at the end. So there are still vast amounts of clean hydrogen left out there.
 

Gibsons

Lifer
Aug 14, 2001
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I think, on Earth, you can find H2 produced from some bacterial fermentation processes and direct production from some geothermal vents.

Then you can argue about whether Hydrogen ions in acids are "bonded" to something else or not.
 

KIAman

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2001
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If we are going to tap the sun for anything, the last thing will be for its hydrogen. What will the hydrogen be used for? Energy? Heat? Food?

Guess what? The sun already provides that and we don't even have to do any work and energy converting the hydrogen into something useful.

The sun makes best use of its hydrogen already, as a self contained fusion reactor. If you care to look far into the future, the best we could do would be to create a Dyson structure.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
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On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.
 

videogames101

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2005
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Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....
 

BrownTown

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Dec 1, 2005
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Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...
 

videogames101

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2005
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Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...

Well, yeah, but when I said that I meant as compared to here on earth, where we don't see it.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
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Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...

'cept you can't see it unless you can see 21cm radiation :p
 

Born2bwire

Diamond Member
Oct 28, 2005
9,840
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Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...

'cept you can't see it unless you can see 21cm radiation :p

See it? Ha! I can smell hyperfine splitting.
 

Gibsons

Lifer
Aug 14, 2001
12,530
35
91
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...

'cept you can't see it unless you can see 21cm radiation :p

See it? Ha! I can smell hyperfine splitting.

My eyeballs are helium cooled.
 

videogames101

Diamond Member
Aug 24, 2005
6,783
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Originally posted by: Gibsons
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...

'cept you can't see it unless you can see 21cm radiation :p

See it? Ha! I can smell hyperfine splitting.

My eyeballs are helium cooled.

Do you helium cool your entire system? What kind of OC do you have on your processing center?
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
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Originally posted by: AstroGuardian
I don't agree with hydrogen being bonded with something else. There are areas of space filled with clean hydrogen. Hydrogen is the first and only element created by nature. All other elements were created inside a stars during their lifespan and blasted to space at the end. So there are still vast amounts of clean hydrogen left out there.

Helium was also created independent of stars. edit: and isotopes of lithium and beryllium

Also, sure we could possibly mine hydrogen from the sun some day, and bring it back to earth. However, it would take far far far more energy than you'd get back by using it chemically in a hydrogen fuel cell.
 

AstroGuardian

Senior member
May 8, 2006
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[/quote]

Also, sure we could possibly mine hydrogen from the sun some day, and bring it back to earth. However, it would take far far far more energy than you'd get back by using it chemically in a hydrogen fuel cell.[/quote]

Good point.
 

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
6,298
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Originally posted by: videogames101
Do you helium cool your entire system? What kind of OC do you have on your processing center?

Depends on how much adrenaline is kicking at any given time.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
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Originally posted by: Gibsons
Originally posted by: Born2bwire
Originally posted by: silverpig
Originally posted by: BrownTown
Originally posted by: videogames101
Originally posted by: silverpig
On earth, hydrogen is virtually always bonded to something else.

In space there's plenty of molecular hydrogen (H2) floating around.

There's also tons of atomic hydrogen as well (H), but it's out in the middle of cold space.

A single H, that'd be a sight....

umm look up in the sky and there it is pretty much everywhere...

'cept you can't see it unless you can see 21cm radiation :p

See it? Ha! I can smell hyperfine splitting.

My eyeballs are helium cooled.
Perhaps, but is your CPU cool with solution?
 

destrekor

Lifer
Nov 18, 2005
28,799
359
126
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Originally posted by: AstroGuardian
I don't agree with hydrogen being bonded with something else. There are areas of space filled with clean hydrogen. Hydrogen is the first and only element created by nature. All other elements were created inside a stars during their lifespan and blasted to space at the end. So there are still vast amounts of clean hydrogen left out there.

Helium was also created independent of stars. edit: and isotopes of lithium and beryllium

Also, sure we could possibly mine hydrogen from the sun some day, and bring it back to earth. However, it would take far far far more energy than you'd get back by using it chemically in a hydrogen fuel cell.

Isn't it all elements were first created in stars of insane stellar mass?
Yes, elements will be created elsewhere by natural means of physics, but super massive stars were and still are the most readily available factories of other elements if I'm not mistaken. Well... maybe not still are. There may not be any stars of the mass that the infant universe was able to create, so we won't see those kind of fusion products in any large quantity.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: destrekor
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Originally posted by: AstroGuardian
I don't agree with hydrogen being bonded with something else. There are areas of space filled with clean hydrogen. Hydrogen is the first and only element created by nature. All other elements were created inside a stars during their lifespan and blasted to space at the end. So there are still vast amounts of clean hydrogen left out there.

Helium was also created independent of stars. edit: and isotopes of lithium and beryllium

Also, sure we could possibly mine hydrogen from the sun some day, and bring it back to earth. However, it would take far far far more energy than you'd get back by using it chemically in a hydrogen fuel cell.

Isn't it all elements were first created in stars of insane stellar mass?
Yes, elements will be created elsewhere by natural means of physics, but super massive stars were and still are the most readily available factories of other elements if I'm not mistaken. Well... maybe not still are. There may not be any stars of the mass that the infant universe was able to create, so we won't see those kind of fusion products in any large quantity.

The primordial plasma-y stuff that the universe started out as produced mostly hydrogen with a good deal of helium to make up almost 100% of the stuff created. There were a few scattered isotopes of lithium and beryllium thrown in as well to round it out.

Elements up to carbon are made inside moderately sized stars via fusion. It may go a little further but I believe most white dwarfs are carbon.

All elements past carbon are made during supernovae (and it still happens).