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Homemade Hydrogen

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:34 pm
by Rob748
I tested something with some chemicals and I stumbled across a way to make hydrogen with two easy to get chemicals. Drano in crystal form, a glass bottle, some aluminum foil, and a little bit of water. Put the aluminum in the bottle, poor the drano ( key ingedrient, Murioutic Acid) into the bottle, poor a liitle bit of water in, ( your gonna have to experiment with the right proportions). Put the ballon on the top and let the chemical reaction take place. Once the ballon is quite large it is filled with Hydrogen. :) heres some evidence if your not a fan of this idea........http://www.householdhacker.com/index.ph ... &Itemid=53

Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:07 pm
by rp181
We all know it works. Its been done with works, crystal drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide). Its not a very economical way to make hydrogen at all.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:10 am
by Carlman
I would sugest agains glass mate...

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:27 am
by suburban spudgunner
I think a better method would be to have the Drano-filled bottle connected to another bottle (full of water) and bubble the gas up through there. I've seen it done this way, but I can't find the video.

Or you could just try electrolysis.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:01 am
by SEAKING9006
Electrolysis is brain-dead easy. Get a battery of any kind, a cup of water (add a little salt) and some aluminum foil. Create electrodes from the foil so they have as much surface area as possible, and connect them to the battery. Collect the resulting gasses SEPERATELY, and you will have both hydrogen and oxygen.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:21 am
by rp181
Everytime a thread like this comes up....
Salt is a bad electrolyte for electrolyisis. You will get hydrogen and chlorine gas, wich is bad. Baking soda,sodium hydroxide, and potassium hydroxide are better choices for electrlysis.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 2:11 pm
by jimmy101
Rob748: Please search before posting stuff like this.

1. The active ingredient in Drano type cleaners is not "Murioutic Acid" (did you mean Muriatic Acid, AKA hydrochloric acid?) It isn't even an acid. Drano is a strong base, either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

2. Drano already has aluminum in it. That's what makes it foam when poured into a drain. Cheaper drain cleaners often don't include the aluminum since it is only there to make it foam and to heat things up a bit.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:19 pm
by psycix
SEAKING9006 wrote:Electrolysis is brain-dead easy. Get a battery of any kind, a cup of water (add a little salt) and some aluminum foil. Create electrodes from the foil so they have as much surface area as possible, and connect them to the battery. Collect the resulting gasses SEPERATELY, and you will have both hydrogen and oxygen.
When adding NaCl, becoming brain-dead is easy.
You are not making hydrogen and oxygen there!
You are making hydrogen and chlorine gas!

Instead of salt, add Na2CO3, NaOH or KOH.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 3:31 pm
by Brian the brain
becoming brain-dead is easy
Did you just call me??

Huh??


on a more serious note..chlorine gas is not something to mess about with

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:09 pm
by john bunsenburner
Especially with hydrogen, ever heard of a chlorine bomb? If you fill a ballon with chlorine and hydrogen 1:1 and flash a camara at it it will blow.

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:12 pm
by SEAKING9006
I know its pretty bad. But, as this dentist appointent is showing, nitrogen gas whoops the ass off of chlorine. =)

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:32 am
by john bunsenburner
Seaking you must of gotton something wrong...Nitrogn is very unreactive, it has a very strong triple bond which chlorine anf flurine are very, very reactiv, basic chemistry...

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:58 am
by SEAKING9006
I was doped up on it, mang. Got a filling.

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:06 am
by john bunsenburner
what you are taking about it nitrious oxide n2o

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:55 am
by jackssmirkingrevenge
john bunsenburner wrote:what you are taking about it nitrious oxide n2o
Probably.

Nitrogen composes around 75% of the air we breathe all the time ;p