Watre molecules contain both hydrogen and oxygen.
Hydrogen and oxygen are the basic components of water. The chemical process that produces water is an exothermic process, meaning that the chemical reaction produces energy as well as a different element. By applying electricity to water, the process is reversed to make hydrogen and oxygen.
According to Professor Jill Granger of Sweet Briar College, the reaction from mixing two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule produces two water molecules and 572 kilojoules of energy. A kilojoule is the amount of solar energy received by a square meter of the planet's surface every second.
Instructions
1. Salt is a chemical catalyst.
Pour 1 cup of warm water into the measuring cup. Warm water works better in this experiment because the table salt catalyst will dissolve better.
2. Stir the table salt into the warm water until nearly all is dissolved. The salt is a chemical catalyst that will speed up the chemical reaction. According to the Virginia Tech Chemistry Department, catalysts are chemical elements that can affect the reaction of other chemicals but are not consumed by the process themselves. In this case, the salt makes the electrolysis work faster.
3. The graphite in the pencil is an electrical conductor.
Sharpen both ends of the pencils with the pencil sharpener. The pencils are the electrodes in this experiment.
4. Pour the warm salt water into the deep saucer until it is full.
5. The current from the battery causes a chemical reaction in the water.
Attach one alligator clip of the red wire to the "+" terminal of the battery and the other alligator clip to one end of the pencil. The clip needs to be making contact with the graphite point.
6. Attach one alligator clip to the "--" terminal of the battery and the other alligator clip to the remaining pencil. Again, make sure that the clip is in contact with the graphite point.
7. Place the free ends of the pencils into the salt solution and wait a few minutes. Now examine the experiment. The bubbles forming on the pencil points are hydrogen and oxygen gas being separated from the molecules of water. The bubbles on the pencil attached to the black lead are hydrogen and the bubbles on the other pencil are oxygen.
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