14 DAY TRIAL // Although water is found almost everywhere on Earth ? 70 percent of our planet being covered with the indispensable liquid, of which 97 percent is salty water ? the scientists? quest for new types of renewable energy uncovers a series of chemical reactions that can be used to produce water in a new way.
Water is a chemical substance, which under normal pressure and temperature conditions, such as those on Earth, becomes liquid. Under the same conditions it has a freezing point of 0 degrees Celsius, a boiling point at 100 degrees Celsius, and a triple point in which pure water, pure ice and pure water vapor can coexist in a stable equilibrium that occurs at exactly 273.16 K, equivalent to 0.01 degrees Celsius.
Its basic molecule is formed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom, scientifically known as dihydrogen monoxide. The chemical reaction equation is:
2H2 + O2 = 2H2O + Energy
Two hydrogen molecules react with one oxygen molecule to produce two molecules of water. The reaction is called in chemical terms, a reduction-oxidation reaction or redox for short. Apart from water, an enormous amount of energy is released as a result, the hydrogen bombs working of the same base principal.
This is learned during Chemistry classes, one of the experiments involving first the separation of the two chemical elements through a process called electrolysis, in which electrical current is run through water, and the two composing gases are collected in separate containers. When the hydrogen gas is light, it gives off a loud bang, sing that the reaction has took place in the oxygen rich atmosphere.
The new way of making water, involves what is known as a hydrogen fuel cell. The basic principle is that the combination of the two elements must take place at a smaller speed, so energy would be harnessed rather than being wasted in an explosion.
In typical fuel cells, hydrogen enters one side of the cell and oxygen the other side. Hydrogen loses its electrons becoming positively charged, and the oxygen gains electrons from the hydrogen becoming negatively charged. The redox reaction has taken place, and as a result, the ions that form the water release electrical energy.
The hardest part is to find ever better catalysts so that more energy would be collected. The researchers now focus on the oxidative reactivity of iridium-based transfer hydrogenate catalysts in a homogenous, non-aqueous solution.