Re: electrolysis

[crawford j maccallum <mccallum@unm.edu>]

On Tue, 24 Mar 1998, Wolfgang Rueckner wrote:

> > I tried to demonstrate electrolysis of water to some middle schoolers and
> > I got bubbles all right but in a ratio of 1:1 not 2:1 as I "should" have.
> >
> > In reading some kiddy science books I get the impression that the
> > electrolyte and the electrodes have to be carefully chosen to get the
> > "right" answer.  Can someone educate me here?
> >
> > Crawford MacCallum
>
>
> Need more details .... did you put salt in the water to make it conduct (in
> which case it might have been chlorine bubbles) .... did you test the gases
> you did collect to see it they were indeed hydrogen and oxygen?  Usually
> platinum electrodes are used and a little bit of sulfuric acid is added to
> the water.  Wolfgang
I didn't use salt.  I think the electrodes were platinum (silver-looking,
borrowed from the University).  The 'Hydrogen' went 'pop' appropriately.
Crawford