Hydrogen Production

[cannon freak]

When using electrolosis to produce hydrogen you have to have the water have some conductivity and I know you can use salt but that creats chlorine gas and I beleive the sodium reacts with the water and creates a more basic solution as the prosses goes on. Now I was wondering wheater or not sodium hydroxide reacts with anything when used with the water in the electrolosis machine. I want to know wheather I have to empty out the water after a period of time or just continue to add water as it turns into H2 and O2.

[SpudStuff]

no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
your cannon WILL explode if you use that
dont be a dumb ass

[FiveseveN]

Well, if you're taking all the safety precautions you should be fine.
I think I remember some books said to put just a bit of sulphuric acid (low concentration) in the water for electrolysis.

[cannon freak]

I am taking saftey percautions such as metal ect... Im not stuipid.

I just want to know wheather or not the sodium hydroxide will be consumed during the electrolosis. I don't want to keep having to buy it

Ive never heard of using sulfuric acid, and I really don't know if I could get some, but thats why I want to use sodium hydroxide since it is realitively inexspensive and availible almost any where (LYE).

[MadHatter]

water right out of the tap will work, but if you whant to speed up the prosses then throw in a dash of salt and use carbon rods as eletrodes you can get carbon rods from a 6-volt battery, just pop the top off and you find 4 metal cans, on top of these cans you will find a copper top grab the top with a pair of needle nose pliars and pull strat up a black rod will come out get 2 of these. I would use 4 nine volt batters and carbon rods for these, oh and if your going to do it in the camber dont have a metal chamber 1) it will rust pretty fast cuz of the O2 2) you have a curnt going throu there

any who tell me how it works

[boilingleadbath]

The sodium hydroxide is not consumed.

The only important thing about your electrolyte is that it be ionic.
Salt, bases, acids: they all work
sugars, alchohols, other hydrocarbons: they don't work

[cannon freak]

Ok, thanks BLB that answers my question.

[pyrogeek]

If you wanted to try the sulfuric acid you can get it in the form of drain cleaner. I live in Illinois and they sell "Liquid Lightning" drain cleaner at Walmart that is sulfuric. Otherwise, you can get it in the form of battery refill kits from dealerships.
I would just use table salt though, cheap and easy.

[pyrogeek]

Also, hyrdogen is a little too much work, and how will you meter it? Just use propane, butane or acetylene like the rest of us.

[cannon freak]

Well the thing is hydrogen is basicly free since my parents don't keep track of my energy consuption, and Im just plain bored so I want to make a large hydrogen producing maching. Besides Im shure I can find other uses for hydrogen. Hydrogen may be alitle work first off but once you have the maching constructed there is very little matenence.

I could always use it for a very cheap way to fill a high speed pneumatic.

[benstern]

acetylene like the rest of us

None of us use Acetylene! That is far too dangrous stuff to even think about messing with. It has close to the same potential of disaster as Hydrogen.
We don't use any gas that can detonate.
(flamefront speed > Mach 1)

I could always use it for a very cheap way to fill a high speed pneumatic.

That is more like it! Great idea!

[cannon freak]

One more question on this topic, what happens to the oxygen when you add sodium hydroxide. Are the only by products oxygen and hydrogen or does the oxygen react with anything.

The answer is probably obvious but I can't get it.

[boilingleadbath]

Funky stuff may happen, such as this (don't take it a certain, I'm not hot on electrolosis).
NaOH + H+ -> Na(s) + H2O (with the Na being deposited on the electrode)
But I can't imagain any that will STAY funky products:
Na(s) + H2O -> NaOH + H+

[frankrede]

In science we got a test tube filled witht water and a teacher put a little tablet in the water, we popped a balloon on top and the balloon inflated with hydrogen. Afterwards she held a match to it and it exploded. I cant remember what the tablet was called.

[mark.f]

Sounds like a pretty irresponsible teacher, (dying for a lawsuit... not that I object to igniting hydrogen filled balloons. ).

Our chemistry teacher shoots rubber stoppers out of test tubes, but that's nothing compared to igniting hydrogen in a classroom.