Chemistry questions about H2 and electrolysis.?

Question

1. When you perform electrolysis on water do you have to have a catalyst.
2. What happens to a catalyst in this experiment.
3. Do you have to replace anything to perform electrolysis on a lot of water or can you use the same parts and the current will keep separating H2O.
4. When H2 is ignited by a spark what is the by product. 
5. Are any other elements such as O2 needed to ignite H2.

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John · Accepted Answer

1. Electrolysis is the discharging of IONS at the cathode (positive ions discharged) and anode (negative ions discharged). Pure water has very few ions so needs to have something dissolved in it to make ions. A very small amount of sulphuric acid is usually used to acidify the water.

2. This is NOT catalysis.The acid simply increases the number of H+ and OH- ions available to be discharged and allows a current to flow.

3. You need to replace the water. As 18g of water will produce 24 l. of H2 and 12 l. of O2 then not a lot of water needs to be replaced.

4. If H2 is ignited in air the product is water   2H2 + O2  =  2 H2O

5.No other substances are needed to react Hydrogen and Oxygen.
Hydrogen can react in a similar way with Sulphur to form Hydrogen Sulphide, with Nitrogen to form Ammonia NH3 and with Phosphorus to form PH3.
It will react explosively with F and Cl to form Hydrogen Fluoride and Hydrogen Chloride as well as reacting less violently with Br and I.
There are other compounds of hydrogen but you can look them up later if you like.

Navita · Answer

1-yes
2-it speeds up the reaction by lowering the activation energy
3-you have to replace the thing given off

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Chemistry questions about H2 and electrolysis.?

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