How can you remove oxygen from a molecule of water to leave a hydrogen gas?

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif"> Thinking back to my school days, I remember passing an electric current through a beaker of H2O. The two copper wires were fed through two small test tubes. Hydrogen was attracted to one wire and oxygen to the other (negative and positive attraction at play). The gasses would bubble up from the wires and collect in the test tubes above.

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It's all very large.

Hi Epitectus,

Yes, you can seperate oxygen from hydrogen, using the techique Bowser described. What you basically do is decomposite water into its building blocks:

2*(H20)(liquid) <=> 2*(H2)(gass) + O2(gass)

However, be extremely carefull with this technique. Pure oxygen is very reactive (binds easily with other atoms that are in the air) and H2 gass is highly inflammable. And just as a sidenote, inflammable & burning means reacting with oxygen - yes the very same oxygen you seperate from the water.

Bye!

Crisp

If you fill a bucket with water and make a round hole in the bottom of the bucket to let the water escape, the water will drain in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise motion. But if you fill a bucket with water and put your finger in it the waves created are symmetrical and move outward in a circular motion (wavelength). Why does the water not move in a clockwise or anti-clockwise motion without the hole in the bottom of the bucket.

<img src = "http://users.esc.net.au/~nitro/BBoard_member_gifs/bowser_anim.gif">

Epitectus,

<font color = "blue">"If you fill a bucket with water and make a round hole in the bottom of the bucket to let the water escape, the water will drain in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise motion." </font>

I once read that the difference in motion is caused by the rotation of the Earth and the hemisphere of the Earth on which the observer is standing.

<font color = "blue">"But if you fill a bucket with water and put your finger in it the waves created are symmetrical and move outward in a circular motion (wavelength). Why does the water not move in a clockwise or anti-clockwise motion without the hole in the bottom of the bucket."</font>

My personal observation of waves is that they radiate outward from the source of energy which created them. I would be interested to know if the rotation of the Earth has any significant interaction with waves of this nature. I've never seen them display rotation in the type of example that you have provided.

It may be that the first involves a three-dimensional interaction, and the second involves a two-dimensional interaction.

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It's all very large.

[This message has been edited by Bowser (edited May 17, 2000).]

The rotational motion you observe as water goes down a drain is called the Coriolous Effect (sorry about spelling). I can't remeber far enough to high school science but the reason is based on rotation of the earth. You can observe the same thing with Hurricanes (Northern hemisphere) and cyclones (southern Hemisphere). If you did you experiment directly on the equator ther would be NO rotation, it would just drain down.

As far as rotation being absent from transient waves, I think that is due to the fact that there is no pressure differential involved. I believe a pressure differential must be present for the coriolous effect. I can't quite remember but I think the effect itself is better explained by pressure differentials then earths rotation. Woa its been a few years and many drinks in between :)

Bowser,
I would say both experiments were done in 3D. Your absolutley right about waves, they radiate away from the energy source. Thats why there's symetry because they radiate in all direction. The motion involved however doesn't (technicaly) displace any water other then the updown motion of the crest and nulls of the passing wave. Therefore the transient wave only causes the water to move up and down not in the direction of the wave front. You can verify this by placing a cork on the surface and watch as a wave passes through it. The cork will only move up and down not with the wave (in a perfect system, in the real world some movement will occur due to other sources of energy). What you observe in the ocean (i.e. surfing :) which I love to do ) the motion you see is no longer a simple transient wave. The wave comes in the null point of the wave is stopped by the bottom of the sea and the crest keeps going due to inertia and wave energy. This topples the wave and makes it surferable :)

probably more then you wanted to know ha :)

[This message has been edited by Rambler (edited May 17, 2000).]

dude,
you saw that on the simpsons, becasue i did!

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when christianity ruled the world, it was called the dark ages.

-dexter (nimrod242 :aol sn)

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Rambler-

Hey, that sounds like a good explanation to me--whatever your source might be.

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It's all very large.

Rambler is indeed very close to the answer, what is actually needed for coriolous to take place is indeed rotation and secondly a relative velocity that is not parallel to the rotation axe. Pressure difference will lead to velocity of the gass molecules or water particles. If this velocity vector is not parallel to the rotation axe there will be a force excerted that is proportionate to the velocity and the angular rotationspeed (this is the rotationspeed at a certain point divided by the distance to the rotation axe)

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I err, therefore I exist !

No Blue Peter

Thanks

What happens if you conducted a similar experiment in a particle accelerator by controlling the rotation and angular momentum of the atoms to produce this coriolus effect.

Would the atoms orbits be able to be controlled, and would the energy within the atoms affect this. I don't know if I'm talking bollocks.