Is it possible to manufacture water and how does it work?

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by dr.ununquadium
I didn't read the second page so I don't know if anyone already said this but no you cannot manufacture water because you need a catalyst to help the mixture change from H2 + O to H2O, and the catalyst may not allow for the production of pure water. Anyway distilling salt water is the best.

Actually, all you need is a source of ignition. Actually, if you've got the time, all you need is hydrogen and oxygen.

 

[dr.ununquadium]

although to speed up the process of combining those 2 elements you do use a catalyst, right.

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by dr.ununquadium
although to speed up the process of combining those 2 elements you do use a catalyst, right.

Actually the reaction can go quite fast without a catalyst. As the flaming ghost of Baron Von Hindenburg can attest.

Not the blimp guy, of course, he was dead before the blimp ever flew; but Baron Julius Von Hindenburg, who died in an unfortunate leiderhosen incident.

 

[Loren Booda]

The difference being that the gas of Julius was methane, having had a bit too much sauerkraut for his britches before an evening smoke.

 

[FZ+]

I was thinking the enormous airship Hindenberg...

If you are going to use a catalyst, the chances are you want to use it to slow the reaction down, so you don't blow up a couple of city blocks.

 

[dr.ununquadium]

I didn't know that the mixture between Hydrogen and Oxygen was flamable, i know hydrogen is flammable only with the presence of electricity though.

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by Loren Booda
The difference being that the gas of Julius was methane, having had a bit too much sauerkraut for his britches before an evening smoke.

Oh, the innanity!

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by dr.ununquadium
I didn't know that the mixture between Hydrogen and Oxygen was flamable, i know hydrogen is flammable only with the presence of electricity though.

Pure hydrogen isn't flammable at all. Hydrogen with oxygen is extremely flammable, explosive if the mix is right. You don't need electricty, any ignition source will do. Google "Hindenburg"

 

[FZ+]

Hmmm... I thought flammable implies we are talking about "reaction with oxygen"...

 

[Chemicalsuperfreak]

Originally posted by FZ+
Hmmm... I thought flammable implies we are talking about "reaction with oxygen"...

No, I'm pretty sure flammable just means it will burn and emit flames. There are plenty of things that will burn in the absence of oxygen.

 

[Jeebus]

Originally posted by Chemicalsuperfreak
No, I'm pretty sure flammable just means it will burn and emit flames. There are plenty of things that will burn in the absence of oxygen.

True but flammability does have limits. Some of those limits apply to vapors. The UFL and LFL define the range of flammable concentrations for a substance in air at atmospheric pressure. The limits of flammability may be used to specify operating, storage, and materials handling procedures for a material. They are particularly useful in specifying ventilation requirements for operations involving flammable liquids and gases, correct?

 

[russ_watters]

Originally posted by Chemicalsuperfreak
No, I'm pretty sure flammable just means it will burn and emit flames. There are plenty of things that will burn in the absence of oxygen.

But hydrogen isn't among them.

When something burns, it has a chemical reaction. Think about what the formula would look like.

For something like magnesium, I've never actually learned how it burns underwater. I would guess though that it takes oxygen from the water by separating it from the hydrogen.