Making Water - Hydrogen Explosion

This short video clip is extracted from a more detailed 2 minute clip, which I filmed earlier. It can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQk4gIcw6CU .

These are not normal soap bubbles. They are filled with HYDROGEN gas! Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, and highly flammable gas. A spark gun (gas appliance igniter) was used to ignite the hydrogen bubbles. The hydrogen combines with oxygen from the air, forming water vapor, and releasing energy.

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[mantis777A]

That seemed more like a Oxygen bubbles as Hydrogen makes a BANG sound when lit.

[ElectricVentures]

@mantis777A The gas actually IS hydrogen. A spark doesn't light oxygen! As shown in the full video that is also posted here, it was pure hydrogen that was passed into the soap solution.

If you put BOTH hydrogen and oxygen in the bubbles, it sounds like a gun shot - very hard on the ears, and not recommended. If you search the web, you'll find demos of lighting hydrogen balloons vs balloons filled with hydrogen and oxygen. The mixture is the loudest, probably as it makes water fastest.

[mantis777A]

@ElectricVentures I know about HHO as I have one of the HHO generators as well. It's just that yours seems not that loud enough... ;) Check my video "HHO Solution Test Bottle 1 " @1:56

[ElectricVentures]

@mantis777A If you try the experiment, you'll find that it definitely makes a "pop". (As long as you don't let the bubbles sit too long!) However, you are correct. The pop is muffled in both this slow motion clip and the original clip. It is not that it isn't hydrogen ... but rather a less than perfect attempt at capturing the sound! ;-) If you checkout my original "singing glass": "Water dancing in a margarita glass", you quickly see that my early videos had audio issues!

[troutdaletim]

Awesome!



[ElectricVentures]

@BassPlayerSluis: With water, one usually talks of a "polar covalent bond". That said:

With friction (triboelectric charging), materials that come in contact can transfer some electrons to the surface of one material, but do not form new molecules/compounds.

The most stable state for an atom is to have a complete outer electron shell, like that of a noble gas. As a result, some elements can form a chemical bond with others by sharing electrons (covalent) or transferring electrons (ionic).

[BassPlayerSluis]

@ElectricVentures oh ok! i searched this to see if they did the experiment withthe monoxygen and H2. i wanted to see if water just apperread.... K LAST QUESTION i have asked all my teachers ths and i dont get it

k so ionic bonding is an electron transfer so how does it differ from like charging by friction, cause in that it also move elctrons over :\. probably a dumb question haha

[ElectricVentures]

@BassPlayerSluis As it has been decades since I've studied chemistry, experts are welcome to set the record straight, however I suspect that monoatomic oxygen would probably be enough. It is so reactive that it would instantly combine with H2 to form water, O to form O2, C to form CO2, et cetera. Note that producing a stable stream of either gas in its monatomic form would require at least as much energy as you would get out of the reaction.

[BassPlayerSluis]

@ElectricVentures so, what happened if we just put pure oxygen and hydrogen together? would it react or not? not the diatomic molecules but if we seperated them and then mixed hydrogen and oxygen. would they react?

[ElectricVentures]

Also note that hydrogen is released into the air by volcanoes, some bacteria, and other processes. As hydrogen is extremely light, it doesn't tend to hang around. However, I wouldn't be surprised if static electricity (or a lightning strike) has trigged the combustion of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas on countless occasions!