First of all, the production cost of helium is relatively high. Helium is mainly extracted from natural gas or air, but this process requires complex technology and equipment, which increases the production cost. In addition, the global helium reserves are relatively small, which leads to tight market supply and further pushes up helium prices.
In contrast, the production cost of hydrogen is lower. Hydrogen can be obtained by relatively simple methods, such as electrolytic water or natural gas reforming. Due to the low production cost, the market supply of hydrogen is relatively sufficient, and the price is correspondingly low.
In addition, the use of helium and hydrogen is also one of the factors that affect the price. Helium is an inert gas, which is widely used in scientific research, medical treatment, aerospace and other fields, such as making liquid helium, helium cooling, space exploration and so on. Due to the unique properties and wide application fields of helium, its demand is large, which further pushes up the price.
Chemical properties of hydrogen
1. Flammability: Hydrogen can burn in air, producing a light blue flame and releasing a lot of heat energy. Therefore, hydrogen can be widely used as fuel in energy, aerospace, industry and other fields. For example, hydrogen can be used to make hydrogen-powered cars and hydrogen-powered planes, and can also be used for industrial high-temperature processing and welding.
2. Reducibility: Hydrogen is reducible and can reduce metal oxides and other compounds. For example, hydrogen can reduce copper oxide to produce copper and water, and can also reduce iron oxide to produce iron and water. This property is widely used in metallurgy, chemical industry and other fields, such as metal smelting and synthetic ammonia.
3. Reactivity: Hydrogen can react with many other elements and compounds to generate various compounds. For example, hydrogen can react with chlorine to produce hydrogen chloride, nitrogen can produce ammonia and oxygen can produce water. These reactions are widely used in chemical synthesis, drug synthesis and other fields.