The Role of the Hydride-ion (Gerhard Hunf)

The following post has been submitted by Gerhard Hunf

The Role of the Hydride-ion

The elements palladium, nickel, lithium and hydrogen play a decisive role in LENR / cold fusion systems.

Palladium and nickel are used primarily as hydrogen solvents. Irrespective of whether the hydrogen is atomically or molecularly dissolved, no nuclear reactions have been described in the two-element systems palladium / hydrogen or nickel / hydrogen.

Only after addition of lithium, to the systems palladium / hydrogen or nickel /hydrogen about nuclease reactions could be reported..

The role of lithium is remarkable in two respects.
1. The system of palladium / hydrogen becomes the RT superconductor only by the presence of lithium, to be the location of high current densities
2. By the presence of lithium, the possibility exists of the formation of LiH in palladium / hydrogen or nickel / hydrogen systems.

The hydride ion plays the role of a catalyst by decisively lowering the energy for neutron formation (e-capture). According to the definition of the catalyst: it reduces the activation energy of the reaction and emerges unused from the reaction.

E-capture on hydrogen H = (p+ + e-) is described by the following reaction
(p+ + e-) + Ex = n + ν
E-capture on hydride-ion H- = (p+ + 2e-)- can be described as follows
(p+ + 2e-)- + Ey = n + e – + ν

Here are two things to note:
1. Ey <Ex
2. The hydride-electron emerges unused from the reaction.

The conditions for a catalyst are fulfilled.