Redox of H2O

[waterbard]

According to wikipedia:

The electric current disassociates water molecule into hydroxide (OH-, and hydrogen H+, ions.

In the electrolytic cell, at the cathode, hydrogen ions accept electrons in a reduction reaction that forms hydrogen gas:

Cathode (reduction): 2H2O(l) + 2e- => H2(g) + 2OH-(aq)

At the anode, hydroxide ions undergo an oxidation reaction and give up electrons to the anode to complete the circuit and form water and oxygen gas:

Anode (oxidation): H2O(l) => O2(g) + 4H+(aq) + 4e-

hence decomposing water into Oxygen and Hydrogen;

Overall reaction: 2H2O(l) => 2H2(g) + O2(g)

AND:

As pure water conducts electricity very poorly, a water-soluble electrolyte must be added to the electrolysis cell to close the circuit. The electrolyte dissolves and disassociates into cations and anions (positive and negative ions) that carry the current. Electrolytes are normally acids, bases, or salts.

Care must be taken in choosing an electrolyte, since an anion from the electrolyte is in competition with the hydroxide ions to give up an electron. An electrolyte anion with less standard electrode potential than hydroxide will be oxidized instead of the hydroxide, and no oxygen gas will be produced. A cation with a greater standard electrode potential than a hydrogen ion will be reduced in its stead, and no hydrogen gas will be produced.



So I'm thinking, when we use NaOH or KOH, we are using hydroxides. Hydroxides are created with electrolysis already. If we are wanting to use these to make water conductive, why can't straight distilled water be used, ionized to allow less resistance? If distilled water becomes ionized, Some O2 will be released, and OH-(aq) will be present, a hydroxide.

If what is stated above is true, and OH-(aq) is aqueous, then water conditioning really means, increasing hydroxide in your solution by reduction. The longer you wait, the more conductive it becomes, so on and so forth.

At the same time, if you add more distilled water, it will mix with the aqueous hydroxide already present in your container, and thus making it conductive still.

Furthermore, it seems that more hydrogen is release at the anode during oxidation than at the cathode with reduction. This really changes the way you think about water cracking, or it should.

To be Continued...

[kevinsatterfield]

Its seems to me that the water wuld remain nuetral as the ph from one side decreases and the ph of the other side increases.I think you need an increasing PH factor.Maybe could set up a feed cell and use one side of it for yer elizer??Ive been wanting to do that with diffrent types of ions as feed stock for an elizer.Like use alluminum electrodes in the feed cell and use the doped water to the elizer.

[waterbard]