Hydrogen: A Brief History

Is hydrogen a realistic fuel source for the future?  Many people would like to know the answer to this question.  Before we examine this question further, let’s start with one of the more basic questions, such as, how has hydrogen been used in the past?

Robert Boyle, early chemist and author of Boyle's law.

This may surprise some of you, but knowledge of hydrogen has been around for hundreds of years.  An awareness of the element actually predates the modern periodic table of elements, used by most chemistry students today.  One of the men most often credited with discovering hydrogen, was Robert Boyle, an Irish born chemist, and author of Boyle’s Law, who was one of the first to produce hydrogen gas in a laboratory setting.  In 1671, Robert Boyle performed two experiments where he combined iron metal, first with hydrochloric acid, and second with sulfuric acid.  In both experiments he noticed that the combination produced a distinct flammable gas that burned with a pale blue flame.  This mysterious gas was what would be later known as hydrogen.  Read more about the early history of Hydrogen here.

NASA diagram of Boyle's Law.

Hydrogen was further isolated and studied by the British scientist Henry Cavendish, who called this invisible gas of mysterious proportions, “inflammable gas.”  When reacting samples of zinc metal with hydrochloric acid, Cavendish noted that this “inflammable gas,” was 7-11 times lighter than air.  He published this finding in 1766 in his paper entitled “On Factitious Airs.”  Click here to see photos from a rare copy of the original text.  This finding later helped other scientists arrive at the conclusion that this gas was a substance which was distinct from the air around it.  Early chemists did not understand that there are many types of gases, thinking all gases to be similar or the same as the air around them.  Cavendish is often credited with discovering hydrogen, although this fact is at times disputed, since many had stumbled onto the gas before, such as Robert Boyle, and further knowledge and study of the gas occurred by many others at different times.  This is another good site about the early history of hydrogen gas.

Famous drawing of Cavendish.  Nice hat!

Later, in 1783, hydrogen finally received its official name from the French chemist, Antoine Lavoisier, who derived the term from the Greek words of hydro, meaning water, and genes, meaning born of.  Lavoisier included this new gaseous element in his list of elements, which was an early predecessor to the modern periodic table of elements, used by chemists today.  This site shows Lavoisier's "Table of Simple Substances," which includes the newly named "inflammable gas," called hydrogen.

This is a painting of Antoine Lavoisier in his lab.

Around the same time that Antoine Lavoisier was documenting the properties of his newly named hydrogen gas, another curious Frenchman by the name of Jean-Pierre Blanchard also began experimenting with the dynamic substance, in an entirely different manner, however.  While Lavoisier was producing small amounts of hydrogen, rather quietly, in his secluded laboratory, Blanchard was taking the first steps toward manned flight, being the first to fill a balloon with hydrogen gas and use it to make experimental test flights over the farms and meadows of rural France.

Contemporary audiences may think back to the late 1800s or early 20^th century and imagine early blimps and airships, however, Blanchard was already using hydrogen filled balloons to achieve manned flight over the skies of Paris by 1784!  In 1785 he would make history by being the first to make an aerial crossing of the English channel, having been hired to perform the feat by an American doctor, John Jeffries, who accompanied him on the flight.  This site contains a good description of Blanchard's early flight, and stories of other early experimentation.

Jean-Pierre Blanchard's hydrogen balloon uses paddles for steering.