What Temperature is Required to Break a Water Molecule?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the temperature required to break a water molecule (H2O) into its constituent elements, hydrogen and oxygen. It is established that water does not decompose into these gases until temperatures exceed 2000ºC, indicating that covalent bonds within the water molecule are significantly stronger than the intermolecular forces present in liquid water. The participant also notes that while electrolysis can separate water into hydrogen and oxygen at lower temperatures, thermal decomposition requires extremely high heat. This reinforces the understanding that covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds in this context.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of covalent and ionic bonds
  • Knowledge of thermal decomposition processes
  • Familiarity with the concept of boiling points and intermolecular forces
  • Basic principles of electrolysis
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the process of thermal decomposition of compounds
  • Learn about the electrolysis of water and its efficiency
  • Explore the differences between covalent and ionic bonds in detail
  • Investigate the boiling points and decomposition temperatures of various compounds
USEFUL FOR

Chemistry students, educators, and anyone interested in molecular chemistry and the properties of water will benefit from this discussion.

girlzrule786
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Hello,
I was confused about which bond is stronger, ionic or covalent... thinking and searching about that, I found (or better, realized) that when we talk about the boiling point of water, its just that it's INTERMOLECULAR forces get weaker, not the covalent bond present between the ATOMS ...

coming to my question,
how much temperature needs to be provided to break a MOLECULE of water into its constituent elements?? I know it can also be done by electrolysis but i want to know what TEMPERATURE (or the extent, atleast)is required to break it...
If that temperature is very high (which i assume so), then does it mean that covalent bonds are stronger than ionic bonds (coz i hv always heard of breaking an ionic lattice but neva heard of breaking a water molecule... which means its quite difficult to do)

PS: please don't consider my mistake (if it is) using the word molecule for water instead of the word compound... I am not so sure about it...
 
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