Splitting water
Electricity breaks water into two gases.
Electricity in water
Two terminals dip into water. Electricity is passed through the water.
What do you expect to see?
What this lesson covers
The idea
Passing electricity through water produces two gases, hydrogen and oxygen, showing that water is composed of these two constituents: Water → Hydrogen + Oxygen.
Electricity in water
Two terminals dip into water. Electricity is passed through the water.
What do you expect to see?
- Gases collecting at the terminals
- Nothing at all
- The water turns to ice
Pass electricity
Press Next step to switch it on.
Two constituents
The gases were not water vapour. If they were, they would condense back to water. So water is composed of two different constituents.
Passing electricity through water gives hydrogen and oxygen: Water → Hydrogen + Oxygen.
Notes
Water → Hydrogen + Oxygen when electricity passes through it.
Check yourself
Passing electricity through water produces …
The gases collected are not water vapour because water vapour would …
This experiment shows that water is made of …
Which equation matches this experiment?
- only steam. The gases are not water vapour. They are hydrogen and oxygen.
- only ice. Electricity does not make ice from water.
- hydrogen and oxygen — correct. Yes!
- condense back to water — correct. Yes!
- burn. Water vapour condenses back to water.
- disappear. Water vapour would condense back.
- one constituent only. Two different gases came out, so water has two constituents.
- two different constituents — correct. Yes!
- no constituents. Two gases came out of it.
- Water → Ice + Steam. Electricity gave two gases, not ice and steam.
- Hydrogen → Water + Oxygen. Water splits into hydrogen and oxygen.
- Water → Hydrogen + Oxygen — correct. Yes!