Free algebras in division rings with an involution

Some general criteria to produce explicit free algebras inside the division ring of fractions of skew polynomial rings are presented. These criteria are applied to some special cases of division rings with natural involutions, yielding, for instance, free subalgebras generated by symmetric elements both in the division ring of fractions of the group algebra of a torsion free nilpotent group and in the division ring of fractions of the first Weyl algebra.