How to Build Hydrogen Generator Cells
Hydrogen is a combustible gas that combines with oxygen to form water. Hydrogen generator cells pull hydrogen out of water using a process known as electrolysis, which involves running a small electrical current through the water. The gases formed are hydrogen and oxygen, and when they are not separated from each other, they are called Brown's gases. Creating a small hydrogen fuel cell is a fascinating experiment and great for helping kids learn about chemistry.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 foot of platinum-coated nickel wire
- Scissors
- Volt meter
- 9-volt battery clip
- Tape
- Popsicle stick
- Glass
- Water
- 9-volt battery
Instructions
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1
Cut the platinum-coated nickel wire in half to give you two 6-inch pieces. Wrap each piece in a coil around the leads from your volt meter. Slide the coils off the leads. These will be the electrodes for your hydrogen generator cell.
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2
Cut the leads from a 9-volt battery clip and strip a half inch of the insulation off the cut ends. Twist the stripped part of the cut ends from the red wire together and around the end of an electrode. Repeat this process with the black wire and the other electrode.
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3
Tape the wires where they connect to the electrodes to one side of the popsicle stick. Turn that side of the stick up to the ceiling and tape it to the top of a glass. Fill the glass with enough water to cover the electrodes, but not to touch the unsheathed wires holding them.
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4
Plug the red wire from the battery clip into the positive terminal of the volt meter and the black wire into the negative terminal. Note the reading on the volt meter. It should be zero volts or possibly as high as 1/10 of a volt.
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5
Hold the battery to the battery clip for a few seconds and observe the volt meter reading. It should read around 9 volts. Note the bubbles on and around the electrodes. Those are the Brown's gases.
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6
Pull the battery away from the clip and pay attention to the readings on the volt meter. Electrolyzing the water into the Brown's gases stores some of the energy from the battery, and the electrodes let that stored energy flow from the gases to the volt meter.
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Tips & Warnings
Hydrogen gas is extremely explosive so keep sparks and flames away from your experiment.
