Liquid hydrogen is gaseous hydrogen that has been cooled to the point that it condenses. To get hydrogen to condense to a liquid it must be cooled to −423ºF—just a few degrees warmer than “absolute zero,” which is as cold as anything can get. Liquid hydrogen is referred to as a “cryogenic liquid” because it is so cold, and must be stored in specially insulated containers.
As liquid hydrogen absorbs heat, some of the liquid “boils off” and vaporizes. Once it has vaporized, the resultant hydrogen gas has the same properties and presents the same hazards as discussed above.
However, while in liquid form, it presents additional hazards related to the extreme cold of the liquid. In addition, liquid hydrogen leaks behave somewhat differently than gaseous hydrogen leaks.
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