This talk aims to show students and pupils the interconnection between physics, chemistry, biology and their impact on our lives. The medium chosen this time is hydrogen, the smallest of atoms, which is primarily associated with energy - all the energy sources we have on Earth originate from hydrogen and thermonuclear fusion in stars.
Together we will think about many reasons why thermonuclear fusion in older generations of stars and in the Sun made life possible and why it is not easy to accomplish on Earth. We will talk about the most important compounds of hydrogen, water and ammonia, their presence on planets and their connection to the origin of life. Students will learn how to store the Sun's energy in hydrogen and how to use it later, for example with a hydrogen cell. They will learn how hydrogen gas is spontaneously produced in nature by the decomposition of water and where it can be found.
We will see where hydrogen is used in medicine, in semiconductors or food processing, the ways it is now produced and consider whether it is now an environmentally friendly source of energy. In the form of an open conversation based on new knowledge, students will express their own opinion on the future use of hydrogen.
