Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting

harryagain wrote:
Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting


We did this at school in the 60's???

On Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:16:38 +0100, Bob Minchin wrote:

harryagain wrote:
Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting


We did this at school in the 60's???

So did we. And I did a project on water joining too...

In article ,
Bob Eager writes:
On Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:16:38 +0100, Bob Minchin wrote:

harryagain wrote:
Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting


We did this at school in the 60's???

So did we. And I did a project on water joining too...

Yes, I went home and setup some electrolysis using a car battery
which produced hydrogen at a fast enough rate to generate a small
continuous flame. I never got any oxygen off, as I couldn't afford
expensive enough electrodes which didn't instantly react with the
oxygen ions produced. I had a plan to fill a balloon with the
hydrogen and oxygen mixture liberated, and to release it to float
up with a length of string attached to act as a fuse so it went bang
at some height, but lack of oxygen meant I never got as far as trying
it (although it would have worked without the bang even with just
hydrogen).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Yes not very efficient though is it. The problem with the oxygen electrode
getting polluted by Oxides is rather annoying.
Eventually you have to replace the electrode.
Still I did try making batteries out of lemons once.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Bob Eager writes:
On Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:16:38 +0100, Bob Minchin wrote:

harryagain wrote:
Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting


We did this at school in the 60's???

So did we. And I did a project on water joining too...

Yes, I went home and setup some electrolysis using a car battery
which produced hydrogen at a fast enough rate to generate a small
continuous flame. I never got any oxygen off, as I couldn't afford
expensive enough electrodes which didn't instantly react with the
oxygen ions produced. I had a plan to fill a balloon with the
hydrogen and oxygen mixture liberated, and to release it to float
up with a length of string attached to act as a fuse so it went bang
at some height, but lack of oxygen meant I never got as far as trying
it (although it would have worked without the bang even with just
hydrogen).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

In article ,
Chris Hogg writes:
On Sun, 7 Jun 2015 07:58:01 +0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Bob Eager writes:
On Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:16:38 +0100, Bob Minchin wrote:

harryagain wrote:
Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting


We did this at school in the 60's???

So did we. And I did a project on water joining too...

Yes, I went home and setup some electrolysis using a car battery

Car battery was the power supply, not the electrolysis cell.

which produced hydrogen at a fast enough rate to generate a small
continuous flame. I never got any oxygen off, as I couldn't afford
expensive enough electrodes which didn't instantly react with the
oxygen ions produced. I had a plan to fill a balloon with the
hydrogen and oxygen mixture liberated, and to release it to float
up with a length of string attached to act as a fuse so it went bang
at some height, but lack of oxygen meant I never got as far as trying
it (although it would have worked without the bang even with just
hydrogen).

I imagine graphite would have been OK for the electrodes, such as the
central positive electrode stripped out from traditional zinc-carbon
batteries.

I rather suspect the oxygen ions will react with it, giving you
carbon dioxide. That's the problem with most metals - you get
the oxides produced rather than liberating oxygen, unless you
go for platinum or gold or something else expensive.

IIRC there used to be (~1950's or 1960's?) a little hand-held
electrolysis cell available for micro-welding that burnt an
oxy-hydrogen flame. Looked a bit like two Sparklets soda-syphon CO2
ampoules fixed together and of about that size, with a burner tube
coming off. Don't know the power supply; car battery? Never had one;
always wanted one! Probably discontinued due to too many people having
their hands blown off.

Mine was in a jam jar with a small hole in the lid, which you could
light to get a flame. The hydrogen electrode was a tall screening can
from an intermediate frequency transformer screening cover, and I
suspect I used lots of copper wire closely spaced inside it for the
oxygen electrode (which just produces copper oxide, and salts as a
result of reacting with the salts added to make the water more
conducting).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On 07/06/2015 10:06, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jun 2015 07:58:01 +0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:
....
IIRC there used to be (~1950's or 1960's?) a little hand-held
electrolysis cell available for micro-welding that burnt an
oxy-hydrogen flame. Looked a bit like two Sparklets soda-syphon CO2
ampoules fixed together and of about that size, with a burner tube
coming off. Don't know the power supply; car battery? Never had one;
always wanted one! Probably discontinued due to too many people having
their hands blown off.


Water electrolysis oxy-hydrogen micro-welders are still sold for the
jewellery trade, although they are probably a bit more expensive than
the one you remember. The one I had in my business used MEK as a flame
modifier, which presumably was to avoid explosions.

--
Colin Bignell

On 07/06/2015 10:06, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Sun, 7 Jun 2015 07:58:01 +0000 (UTC),
(Andrew Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
Bob Eager writes:
On Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:16:38 +0100, Bob Minchin wrote:

harryagain wrote:
Came across this, interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting


We did this at school in the 60's???

So did we. And I did a project on water joining too...

Yes, I went home and setup some electrolysis using a car battery
which produced hydrogen at a fast enough rate to generate a small
continuous flame. I never got any oxygen off, as I couldn't afford
expensive enough electrodes which didn't instantly react with the
oxygen ions produced. I had a plan to fill a balloon with the
hydrogen and oxygen mixture liberated, and to release it to float
up with a length of string attached to act as a fuse so it went bang
at some height, but lack of oxygen meant I never got as far as trying
it (although it would have worked without the bang even with just
hydrogen).

I imagine graphite would have been OK for the electrodes, such as the
central positive electrode stripped out from traditional zinc-carbon
batteries.

IIRC there used to be (~1950's or 1960's?) a little hand-held
electrolysis cell available for micro-welding that burnt an
oxy-hydrogen flame. Looked a bit like two Sparklets soda-syphon CO2
ampoules fixed together and of about that size, with a burner tube
coming off. Don't know the power supply; car battery? Never had one;
always wanted one! Probably discontinued due to too many people having
their hands blown off.


I used to use a bench-based equivalent for welding thermocouple
junctions (early 70's). Ran off a 13A socket but not sure what power it
drew. I think it used standard hypodermic needles as the nozzle.