Molecular hydrogen, very interesting

[Neuroprotection]

Molecular hydrogen is a colourless, oderless, tastless, diatomic non toxic gas and the lightest most abundant element in the universe. For a long time it was thought to be biologicly inactive, but studies now prove it is far from that. It has shown strong antioxidant affects and easily penetrates all cell components. It selectively targets the most dangerous free radicals such as hydroxyl and peroxinitrite ions while not affecting low level of superoxide and nitric oxide needed for cellular signalling.
Apart from acting as a robust and potent antioxidant, elemental (molecular or pure hydrogen) seems to alter gene transcription. The reason for this beliefe is because, the halflife of hydrogen in cells is very short (3/4 minutes) in animal and human bodies, yet the protective affects are seen for well over 50 minutes after small doses of hydrogen enriched water are ingested.
Hydrogen also has strong antiallergic and antiapoptotic properties towards nearly all cell types, but the affects are remarkably powerfull in neurons.

Products called hydrogen water sticks are now being soled, they use magnesium metal which reacts with water to produce hydrogen and magnesium hydroxide. However, I think this is rather inefficient. How about dissolving hydrogen gas from a canister directly into distilled water at a low temperature e.g. 4 degrees c. This should be done in a glass container stored within a larger aluminium container. Both containers should be filled with hydrogen and closed in an airtight manner. The aluminium will stop hydrogen permeating out into the atmosphere. Adding extra hydrogen to the atmosphere of the outer aluminium container, should act as a balance against hydrogen moving out of the glass water container, thus keeping the water hydrogen enriched.
What do you all think? Are the benefits of hydrogen too good to be true? Is anyone willing to try it?
I know hydrogen gas is flammable, but so is alcohol, or even butane used in production of hash oil.
Do you think my suggested method of making hydrogen enriched water would work, note that anyone wanting to try it should do it outside and have good knowledge of chemistry, or at least safty of chemicals.

 

[PINKoPANaTHER]

I have to ask where this premise begins, because we all breathe a significant amount of hyrdogen that gets absorbed with every breath, as it constitutes a major portion of our atmosphere. Are you proposing it being used like carbonated water? I think the taste would be unique as hydrogen is small enough and can permeate gustatory nerve cells (though many are ligand dependent, it might have a similar "bite" and saltiness like CO2 which activates taste receptors distinct from its actions as a bubbling gas (if you have ever drank a carbonated beer followed by a nitrogenated one, like Guiness, you know that the bubbles alone aren't what causes the taste). NO2 precipitates out of the liquid much slower, and as such forms much smaller bubbles, and it lacks the bite of CO2. I would drink a hydrogenated beverage if it replicated that bite, maybe even stronger than CO2 as it would precipitate out of solution much quicker than CO2 also. I don't see how this would change the amount of biologically active H2 though. You would probably have to be in a hyperbaric chamber or be wearing a breathing mask with an increased ration of hydrogen to nitrogen to increase physiological H2. This is more likely an intersting find of something that already occurs than something to be implemented as a new discovery though.

(even though I now really, really want to try a hydrogenated beverage, maybe an IPA or even better, an Imperial [stout]) Could be a huge market if someone gets a patent on creating hydrogenated liquids if it doesn't already exist.

NOTE: Also, to see what I mean about taste, take a deep breath of some evaporating dry ice - it has a distinct aroma and taste you may recognize.

 

[Solipsis]

What are the 'small doses' you talk of?

Only around 1.6 mg H2 per kg of water at 20°C can be dissolved..
Alcohol is not *that* volatile and not used gaseous, and with butane you really need to watch the hell out and is not used to ingest directly. Drinking vodka and smoking a cigarette? Yes...
Cracking open a bottle of H2 enriched water and smoking? Potential hindenburg? But oh yeah fortunately not that much dissolves, but you better make sure its not allowed to suddenly come out of solution cause of mixing or stomach content. Seems unreliable and unsafe.

If this has any future I'd imagine adsorbed H2 on nano particles with a safe and 'buffered' delivery mechanism.

 

[sekio]

For a long time it was thought to be biologicly inactive, but studies now prove it is far from that.

links to said studies?

Apart from acting as a robust and potent antioxidant,

not on its own ... ? H2 isa quite small and non polar and even in catalytic reductions of organic compounds with HUGE exothermicity (==very favorable) it cannot react with cmpds on its own.. needs to bond to a platinum group metal centre first though (usually).

Products called hydrogen water sticks are now being soled, they use magnesium metal which reacts with water to produce hydrogen and magnesium hydroxide.

cool, I have a bracelet that makes positive ions or chi or something, you want to buy one for $29.95?

However, I think this is rather inefficient. How about dissolving hydrogen gas from a canister directly into distilled water at a low temperature e.g. 4 degrees c. This should be done in a glass container stored within a larger aluminium container. Both containers should be filled with hydrogen and closed in an airtight manner. The aluminium will stop hydrogen permeating out into the atmosphere.

... yeah, those are the words of someone who has pretty clearly not actually looked at the practical aspects of hydrogen safety, handling, properties etc. (For a quick review on the subject by Derek Lowe see here)
First off hydrogen is not only "flammable", it has an explosive range in air of between ~5% and ~95%. So effectively ANY hydrogen mixed with ambient air, or even worse pure oxygen, is an explosion liability.
And not just a POP explosion, let's see some photos of what can happen with just one leaky tank left unattended.

Doesn't that lab look neat and organized. John Macafee would be proud.

Second off, hydrogen is so small that it will slip in between the spaces in many metal atoms' lattices in a process called embrittlement. Hydrogen will also react with some metals to form hydride compounds, or even form solutions in solid phase metals(!). This means there needs to be special treatment for high-pressure gas lines if they carry H2. And it also means it will damage aluminum over time. [ref]

Oh, speaking of high pressure, hydrogen is the most difficult to compress gas, because there are only 2 grams of it per 22.4 liters (@standard temp)

And as soli points out, saturating ice cold water with hydrogen still dissolves effectively nothing ...

Leave hydrogen generation to the obligate anaerobes in my gut I say.

 

[belligerent drunk]

^ I work in that kind of lab. It's very... cozy.

But yeah as Solipsis and sekio already pointed out, it's a stupid idea.