How do hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity?

How do hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity?

• A. Hydrogen gas reacts with oxygen, producing protons and electrons; electrons create an electric current.
• B. Hydrogen gas reacts with nitrogen to form ammonia that powers a turbine.
• C. Hydrogen is burned with oxygen in a combustion chamber.
• D. Oxygen is reduced to water without producing electricity.

Answer: (A)

Hydrogen fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction. In operation, hydrogen is oxidized to produce protons and electrons; the electrons flow through an external circuit to do work as current, while the protons move through the cell’s electrolyte toward the other side where they combine with oxygen to form water. This description captures the essential flow: chemical energy becomes electrical energy via electrons traveling through a circuit. The other ideas describe burning hydrogen, making ammonia, or forming water without generating electricity, which do not describe how a fuel cell actually produces power.

Hydrogen fuel cells convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy through an electrochemical reaction. In operation, hydrogen is oxidized to produce protons and electrons; the electrons flow through an external circuit to do work as current, while the protons move through the cell’s electrolyte toward the other side where they combine with oxygen to form water. This description captures the essential flow: chemical energy becomes electrical energy via electrons traveling through a circuit. The other ideas describe burning hydrogen, making ammonia, or forming water without generating electricity, which do not describe how a fuel cell actually produces power.