The Naked Scientists
  • Login
  • Register
  • Podcasts
      • The Naked Scientists
      • eLife
      • Naked Genetics
      • Naked Astronomy
      • In short
      • Naked Neuroscience
      • Ask! The Naked Scientists
      • Question of the Week
      • Archive
      • Video
      • SUBSCRIBE to our Podcasts
  • Articles
      • Science News
      • Features
      • Interviews
      • Answers to Science Questions
  • Get Naked
      • Donate
      • Do an Experiment
      • Science Forum
      • Ask a Question
  • About
      • Meet the team
      • Our Sponsors
      • Site Map
      • Contact us

User menu

  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Help
  • Search
  • Tags
  • Recent Topics
  • Login
  • Register
  1. Naked Science Forum
  2. Non Life Sciences
  3. Chemistry
  4. how to make water?
« previous next »
  • Print
Pages: [1]   Go Down

how to make water?

  • 4 Replies
  • 6145 Views
  • 0 Tags

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Viv (OP)

  • First timers
  • *
  • 2
  • Activity:
    0%
how to make water?
« on: 20/06/2007 18:28:34 »
I need help explaining how this is not so simple to my non science boyfriend!

He thinks that you should be able to add 2 hydrogen atoms to 1 oxygen atom plus energy (usually in the form of heat) and whaaalaaa you have water ( in a liquid phase).

I told him that water exists in all three phases- i.e. solid, liquid and gas but it takes energy to convert from one phase to the other and to convert gas H2O into liquid H2O is too expensive in terms of energy required and thats why its not done on a large scale industrialized level.

Am I wrong in my explanation?
Please help  [???]



Logged
 



Offline eric l

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • 514
  • Activity:
    0%
how to make water?
« Reply #1 on: 20/06/2007 18:35:42 »
Actually, the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen is exothermic, meaning that you set free a lot of energy.  That is why you can use hydrogen as a fuel, in a car engine or a blow torch or whatever.  You set free so much energy that you will have water vapour (water in the gas phase).
In order to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, you need to add lot of energy, e.g. by an electric current in the case of electrolysis.
Logged
"Wonder is no wonder" (Simon Stevin 1548-1620)
 

Offline daveshorts

  • Moderator
  • Naked Science Forum King!
  • *****
  • 2568
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Thanked: 1 times
  • Physics, Experiments
    • http://www.chaosscience.org.uk
how to make water?
« Reply #2 on: 20/06/2007 18:44:20 »
Yes you can make water this way, and you do manufacture it like this in a space rocket and all you have to do to turn it into water is cool down the products, or in a fuel cell where the water is manufatured as a liquid - on the space shuttle this is a major source of their water. However on earth hydrogen is immensely more expensive than the amount of water it would manufacture  (you would have to make it from water + lots of energy or natural gas). If you lived on a planet where hydrogen and oxygen were plentiful but water was not (a circumstance unlikely to last very long) then it would be a way of making water.
Logged
 

Offline lightarrow

  • Naked Science Forum King!
  • ******
  • 4605
  • Activity:
    0%
  • Thanked: 16 times
how to make water?
« Reply #3 on: 20/06/2007 21:44:33 »
Quote from: Viv on 20/06/2007 18:28:34
I told him that water exists in all three phases- i.e. solid, liquid and gas but it takes energy to convert from one phase to the other and to convert gas H2O into liquid H2O is too expensive in terms of energy required and thats why its not done on a large scale industrialized level.
So he wants to make liquid water, e.g., condensing the water vapour which is in air? Look at the price of a dehumidifier and then, in base of the relative humidity and air temperature, evaluate how much it'll cost to have 1 L of liquid water! (A lot!)
Logged
 

Offline Viv (OP)

  • First timers
  • *
  • 2
  • Activity:
    0%
how to make water?
« Reply #4 on: 21/06/2007 18:00:37 »
thank you all for your response...:)
Logged
 



  • Print
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »
Tags:
 
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
  • SMF 2.0.15 | SMF © 2017, Simple Machines
    Privacy Policy
    SMFAds for Free Forums
  • Naked Science Forum ©

Page created in 0.267 seconds with 39 queries.

  • Podcasts
  • Articles
  • Get Naked
  • About
  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe to newsletter
  • We love feedback

Follow us

cambridge_logo_footer.png

©The Naked Scientists® 2000–2017 | The Naked Scientists® and Naked Science® are registered trademarks created by Dr Chris Smith. Information presented on this website is the opinion of the individual contributors and does not reflect the general views of the administrators, editors, moderators, sponsors, Cambridge University or the public at large.