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Hydrogen
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Reactions of Hydrogen with Inorganic and Organic Molecules in Aqueous...
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Reactions of Hydrogen with Inorganic and Organic Molecules in Aqueous Media

A special issue of Hydrogen (ISSN 2673-4141).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2026 | Viewed by 3350

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ignat Ignatov

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Guest Editor
Scientific Research Center of Medical Biophysics (SRCMB), 1111 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: hydrogen; water clusters; origin of life; longevity; plasma water
Prof. Dr. Yordan G. Marinov

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Guest Editor
Georgi Nadjakov Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: hydrogen; liquid crystals; water clusters; origin of life
Dr. Teodora Todorova

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Guest Editor
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: mutagenesis/antimutagenesis; anticarcinogenesis; oxidative stress; natural products; low-dose adaptive response; mechanisms of DSBs induction and repair; Ty1 retrotransposition; genome stability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue presents recent advances in the use of hydrogen in aqueous-phase reactions with inorganic and organic molecules. The focus is on both fundamental studies and practical applications, with direct relevance to green chemistry, energy systems, and chemical synthesis.

The contributions cover homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, highlighting efficient and environmentally friendly methods for hydrogen production, activation, and utilization in aqueous media. Special attention is given to reactions that occur under mild conditions, offering practical advantages in terms of safety, cost, and sustainability.

The development of novel strategies for activating molecular hydrogen and controlling its reactivity with diverse substrates is one of the key themes of this Special Issue. The role of water is examined not just as a solvent, but as a medium that can influence reaction rates and pathways by stabilizing key intermediates and transition states.

Hydrogen is considered one of the key molecular drivers of redox reactions in the primordial hydrosphere potentially contributing to the origin of life. Its reactivity in a water-rich, high-temperature environment may have enabled the formation of essential organic compounds, laying the groundwork for the emergence of life.

This Special Issue includes contributions that explore these fundamental questions at the intersection of chemistry, geoscience, and biology.

Prof. Dr. Ignat Ignatov
Prof. Dr. Yordan G. Marinov
Dr. Teodora Todorova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Hydrogen is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inorganic and organic substrates
  • hydrogen reactions
  • catalysis (homogeneous and heterogeneous)
  • green chemistry
  • hydrogen activation
  • origin of life

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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20 pages, 3214 KB  
Article
Kinetics of Isothermal and Non-Isothermal Pre-Reduction of Chromite with Hydrogen
by Mopeli Ishmael Khama, Beberto Myth Vunene Baloyi, Quinn Gareth Reynolds, Buhle Sinaye Xakalashe and Deshenthree Chetty
Hydrogen 2026, 7(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrogen7010021 - 1 Feb 2026
Viewed by 735
Abstract
Production of ferrochrome alloy is carried out using carbon as a reductant in a Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF). Carbothermic reduction of chromite ore results in high CO2 emissions, and alternative reductants such as H2, wherein H2O is the [...] Read more.
Production of ferrochrome alloy is carried out using carbon as a reductant in a Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF). Carbothermic reduction of chromite ore results in high CO2 emissions, and alternative reductants such as H2, wherein H2O is the only by-product, have become attractive potential alternatives. Before utilizing H2 as a reductant, it is crucial to carry out a comprehensive study on the reaction kinetics with the view to aid the design and operation of reactors that facilitate the reduction process. The current study determined the kinetic parameters for isothermal and non-isothermal pre-reduction of chromite with H2 in a thermogravimetric furnace. Results from powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy determined the mineralogical variations between the feed and the pre-reduced samples, as well as the variation between isothermally and non-isothermally treated samples. The mass loss data indicates that longer reduction times are required to reach complete reduction. The apparent activation energy for the isothermal and non-isothermal pre-reduction tests was found to be 105 and 124 kJ/mol, respectively. The mineralogical observations for pre-reduced samples at 1300 °C and 1500 °C showed that samples treated at lower temperatures (1300 °C) displayed consistent textures and Fe-Cr droplets along rims of partially altered chromite (PAC), which suggested higher metallization at this temperature. Higher temperatures (1500 °C), on the other hand, resulted in poor metallization, possibly because higher temperatures are often associated with a collapsed pore network, which results in poor diffusion rates, thus hindering complete reduction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reactions of Hydrogen with Inorganic and Organic Molecules in Aqueous Media)
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12 pages, 2146 KB  
Article
The Influence of the Hydrogen Isotope Effect on the Kinetics of Amoxicillin and Essential Elements Interaction
by Daniil A. Sundukov, Olga V. Levitskaya, Tatiana V. Pleteneva and Anton V. Syroeshkin
Hydrogen 2026, 7(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrogen7010002 - 24 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 682
Abstract
Chemical incompatibility between active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and mineral supplements may affect their bioavailability and effectiveness. Water, as the main component of physiological fluids, plays a crucial role in these interactions. Natural waters vary in the deuterium. Estimation of the kinetic isotope effect [...] Read more.
Chemical incompatibility between active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and mineral supplements may affect their bioavailability and effectiveness. Water, as the main component of physiological fluids, plays a crucial role in these interactions. Natural waters vary in the deuterium. Estimation of the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) provides valuable information on reaction mechanisms in solvents with different D/H ratios and with the replacement of protium with deuterium in API molecules. Studies of the kinetics of interactions between zinc ions and amoxicillin in water with a natural isotopic composition (D/H = 145 ppm) and in heavy water (99.9% D2O) offer a model for predicting similar interactions in vivo. The presence of chiral centers in the amoxicillin molecule allowed the use of polarimetry to study the influence of the solvent isotopic composition, temperature, and pH on the rate of interaction. In heavy water, a twofold decrease in the rate of amoxicillin binding to hydrated zinc ions was observed compared to natural water at 20 °C. Arrhenius kinetics confirmed the observed KIE: Ea = 112.5 ± 1.3 kJ/mol for D2O and 96.0 ± 2.1 kJ/mol for H2O. For the first time, kinetic polarimetric studies demonstrated differences in the mechanisms of binding of d- and s-element cations to amoxicillin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reactions of Hydrogen with Inorganic and Organic Molecules in Aqueous Media)
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13 pages, 2040 KB  
Article
Microstructures as Models for Origin of Life in Hot Water: Hydrogen-Assisted Self-Assembly of Glycine and Alanine Zwitterions
by Ignat Ignatov
Hydrogen 2025, 6(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrogen6030067 - 9 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1345
Abstract
Building on the early investigation by Sidney W. Fox that dry-heated amino acids can spontaneously form microspheres, this research studies the self-organization of glycine and alanine with hydrogen in a liquid system. This study aimed to investigate the spontaneous formation of membraneless, microscale [...] Read more.
Building on the early investigation by Sidney W. Fox that dry-heated amino acids can spontaneously form microspheres, this research studies the self-organization of glycine and alanine with hydrogen in a liquid system. This study aimed to investigate the spontaneous formation of membraneless, microscale amino acid assemblies under simulated prebiotic hydrothermal conditions, such as hot mineral sources and ponds. Aqueous solutions of glycine and alanine were prepared in a hydrogen-rich mineral buffer and thermally incubated at 75 °C. Phase-contrast microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and molecular modeling were employed to analyze the morphology and internal organization of the resulting structures. Microscopy revealed that zwitterionic glycine and alanine spontaneously self-organize into spherical microspheres (~12 µm), in which the charged –NH3+ and –COO− groups orient outward, while the hydrophobic methyl groups of alanine point inward, forming a stabilized internal core. The primary studies were performed with hot mineral water from Rupite, Bulgaria, at 73.4 °C. The resulting osmotic pressure difference Δπ ≈ 2490 Pa, derived from the van’t Hoff equalization. This suggests a chemically asymmetric system capable of sustaining directional water flux and passive molecular enrichment. The zwitterionic nature of glycine and alanine, which possesses both –NH3+ and –COO− groups, supports the formation of microspheres in our experiments. Under conditions with hot mineral water and hydrogen acting as a reducing agent in the primordial atmosphere, these amino acids self-organized into dense interfacial microspheres. These findings support the idea that thermally driven, zwitterion-mediated aggregation of simple amino acids, such as glycine and alanine, with added hydrogen, could generate membraneless, selectively organized microenvironments on the early Earth. Such microspheres may represent a plausible intermediate between dispersed organisms and microspheres. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Reactions of Hydrogen with Inorganic and Organic Molecules in Aqueous Media)
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