Describe a test for hydrogen?
2 Answers
See below.
Explanation:
The way most people do it by using a lit splint and putting it into a test tube.
First do a reaction in a test tube, use a bung so no gas products are lost.
After the reaction, remove the bung and put a lit splint in the test tube. If hydrogen is present, you will hear a loud squeaky pop. If there is no hydrogen present, there will be no squeaky pop.
A light splint will pop in the presence of hydrogen gas.
Explanation:
A simple test for the prescence of hydrogen gas is to light a splint and put it in the smoke present. If it makes a squeaky pop sound, then hydrogen gas is present.
To make hydrogen gas, you can add a metal to an acid, and it will produce a salt and hydrogen gas. The general equation is:
The hydrogen gas produced is combustible, and will therefore burn when it reacts with oxygen gas. But in a small reaction with a metal and an acid, little amounts of hydrogen gas are produced, and therefore will not burn as much. When we try to light it up with a splint, it explodes, but in very small amounts, therefore causing the squeaky pop sound.
You can watch a video about the test here:
