Discover the Potential of Hydrogen Metal: Properties and Possibilities

[Merlin]

I was reading sometime ago that the hydrogen in Jupiter's core was a solid "metal"(with one electon?). This may be an uunanswerable thought question, but its been troubling me! Let's say Earth's scientists found a way to make hydrogen metal. what would its properties be? Density, etc., (this is assuming that we could keep it from vaporizing and in a "metallic" state. I didn't know where to post this one!

 

[radagast]

I think what you mean is make Hydrogen a solid. Metal just means it has certain chemical properties - i.e. ease of donating all the electrons of it's outer shell, forming a positively charged ion.

For example, Mercury is a metal no matter if it's a solid, liquid, or gas.

I've done no research into whether it has properties in common with other metals (when a solid), such as good electrically and thermal conductivity, malleability, etc. It may not. Unlike all the other metals, it can also act like a non-metal (accept electron(s) to fill it's outer shell). It also forms molecular hydrogen in the form of H₂. This would interfere with the normal sharing of electrons typical of other metals.

 

[LURCH]

Earth's scientist actually have found a way to make hydrogen a metal. Not in large quantitites or for a long time, but under laboratory conditions, it has been achieved. http://www-phys.llnl.gov/H_Div/GG/ComQuest.html talks about the differences between metalising H₂ as a solid or as a fluid. I read an article some time ago (probably in SciAm) about attempts to produce a stable form. The article predicted that the metal would be much lighter than current building materials. I never heard any follow-up, so I don't think it's been achieved.

 

[Portlandmann]

Hydrogen as a crystal

I read that Israeli scientists have made solid form hydrogen crystal. I wonder if this would have properties of a metal.