How to Make Hydrogen & Oxygen Fuel
Fossil fuels such as gasoline and coal provide a great source of heat and electricity, but they also pollute the planet with greenhouse gases. Hydrogen fuel provides comparable power to fossil fuels and has zero greenhouse gas emissions. Creating hydrogen and oxygen fuel from the electrolysis of water is a fairly simple concept that can be replicated on a small scale in your classroom.
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Things You'll Need
- Hoffman apparatus
- Distilled water
- Power source
- Electrical wire
- Collection tubes
- Wood splint
Instructions
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Obtain a Hoffman apparatus from your teacher. Make sure the stoppers are closed on both ends. Fill the apparatus with distilled water.
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Plug the electrical wires into the power source. Connect the negative wire to one terminal on the Hoffman apparatus and the positive to the other.
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Turn on the power source. You will see bubbling at both electrodes within the apparatus. Hydrogen will be produced on the negative side and oxygen will be produced on the positive side.
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Allow the electricity to flow until the desired amount is collected. To test your collected gases, place a test tube over the top of the stopper on either side. Open the stopper to allow gas to enter the test tube. Close the stopper and expose a lit wood splint to the interior of the test tube. If you hear a squeaking sound accompanied by a dark orange flame, that is hydrogen. If you see a brighter flame, that is oxygen.
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Tips & Warnings
To have a truly zero-emissions fuel, use a solar panel to provide the electricity. It will be slower but it will produce totally green fuel. To increase the rate of reaction, use a weak sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid to speed the process. For larger scale applications, the process is basically the same, but you will need a secure collection procedure to harvest the gas.
When lighting the test tubes, use a test tube clamp and don't allow too much gas to escape into the tubes as these gases are highly explosive. Water and electricity don't mix, so be careful to keep your power source dry.
