Dihydrogen monoxide parody story has since been used in science education to encourage critical thinking and discussion of the scientific method. A 1983 April Fools' Day edition of the "Durand Express", a weekly newspaper in Durand, Michigan, reported that "dihydrogen oxide" had been found in the city's water pipes, and warned that it was fatal if inhaled, and could produce blistering vapors. The first appearance of the parody on the Internet was attributed by the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" to the so-called "Coalition to Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide", a parody organization at UC Santa Cruz following on-campus postings and newsgroup discussions in 1990. This new version
Dihydrogen cation of the ion is 1.8 eV. High speed electrons also cause ionization of hydrogen molecules with a peak cross section around 50 eV. The peak cross section for ionization for high speed protons is with a cross section of . A cosmic ray proton at lower energy can also strip an electron off a neutral hydrogen molecule to form a neutral hydrogen atom and the dihydrogen cation, (p + H → H + ) with a peak cross section at around of . An artificial plasma discharge cell can also produce the ion. Dihydrogen cation The hydrogen molecular ion, dihydrogen