Form of hydrogen in steel

Though the work in recent years reveals that a part of hydrogen in solid metal may exist in the form of charged particles, this state is still not fully accepted. Attempts have been made in the present paper to establish that a fraction of hydrogen can exist in steel in the form of ion along with atomic and molecular hydrogen. When a direct current is passed through a steel wire which has already been cathodically charged, migration of hydrogen takes place, which is evident from the difference of concentration of hydrogen at the cathode end before and after direct current is passed. Secondly, when hydrogen is determined both by vacuum heating method and anodic dissolution method in steel, which has been charged cathodically, a higher value has been obtained by the former method. But same hydrogen value is obtained by both the methods when sample is charged thermally below its melting point. During the anodic solution both atomic and molecular hydrogen collects in the anodic chamber, while the proton moves towards the cathode through the electrolyte and is discharged there. Consequently, a lower value of hydrogen is indicated in the collected gas. (Shri J. Konar, Senior Scientific Assistant and Shri N.G. Banerjee, Scientist, National Metallurgical Laboratory)