by thrival » Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:21 am
I'm a bit surprised the govt. would consider giving anyone a patent for this, after all the information is very old (Edison knew it) and any first-year chemistry student learns (or should learn) that acid-metal reactions make hydrogen. At the same time the information IS significant AND useful, and surprising it was pushed under the rug for so long.
What I find important is that any two dissimilar metals with sufficient potential difference, when immersed in acid, make not only H2, but electrical current. That means any electricity you use to regenerate the cell you get right back. Linnard appears not to have discovered this latter fact. The reaction he uses is exactly what AlaskaStar said he was doing. AlaskaStar said the more electricity you draw off, the faster the reaction and the more H2 you make. That would probably preclude the need for Linnard's hotplate.