Hydrogen : Hot Stuff, Cool Science

Preface vii Preface to the 2nd Edition x Prologue 11 BOOK ONE: Laying The Foundation 1 INTRODUCTION Meet the Wizard at the Wasserstoff Farm 17 2 CREATION OF ATOMIC ELEMENTS The Birth of Hydrogen: On a Fine Day, 13.7 Billion Years Ago... 25 3 FISSION & FUSION Unearthly Reactions: Atoms vs. Atomics 33 4 CHEMICAL BONDING Chemical Bonds: The Numbers Game 43 5 GLOBAL WARMING The Dangers of Riding Your Carbon Cycle Through a Greenhouse 55 6 Deeper into the Wasserstoff Farm 72 7 ANNUAL U.S. ENERGY CONSUMPTION Sizing Up the Beast (with apologies to Rhode Island) 76 BOOK TWO: Where In The World Is The Hydrogen? 8 ELECTROLYSIS Splitting Water: It's a Matter of Perspective 89 9 OTHER WAYS TO EXTRACT HYDROGEN FROM WATER How to Perform an Electrolyzer Bypass 104 10 EXTRACTING HYDROGEN FROM COAL, NATURAL GAS & BIOMASS (Re)Forming a Steamy Relationship with Hydrocarbons 117 11 ETHANOL METHANOL PRODUCTION The Alcohol Sisters: A Hot New Fling for Hydrogen? 135 12 NUCLEAR ENERGY & HYDROGEN PRODUCTION To Nuke or Not to Nuke: Is That a Question? 153 13 WIND ENERGY & HYDROGEN PRODUCTION The Wind as Fuel: Watts Possible? 171 14 SOLAR ENERGY & HYDROGEN PRODUCTION Sunlight to Watts: A Towerful Idea 191 BOOK THREE: Putting Hydrogen To Work 15 HYDROGEN STORAGE Stuffing Wasserstoff: Is There an Ideal Way to Store a Non-Ideal Gas? 202 Bulk Storage and Transportation Is Hydrogen Safe? 16 HYDROGEN-FUELED INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES The Infernal Combustion Engine: Can the ol' Hoss Run on New-Fangled Feed? 223 17 FUEL CELLS Fuel Cells: Going Where No. Engine Has Gone Before 235 Portable Fuel Cells Hydrogen Use in our Homes 18 Night Vision: A Peek Into Tomorrow 261