Oxygen Lone-Pair Electrons behind Amazing Properties of Water-Electrolysis Gas-Mixture
The mixture of gasses evolving from water electrolysis, referred to by some as Brown’s gas, has some unusual characteristics defying current Chemistry but can be understood by involving the lone pair electrons of oxygen. The SP3 hybridization creates four equivalent electron orbitals for oxygen atom, two bond-pair and two lone-pair. The energy levels of the bond-pair electron are widely and unevenly spaced. The lone-pair electrons, in contrast, have narrow and equi-spaced energy levels. A bond-pair electron when excited to higher energy returns to the ground state immediately. The lone-pair electron however stays in its higher energy state for long. The cation H+ is neutralized at the cathode to liberate mono-atomic (H) and diatomic (H2) hydrogen gas. The anion OH- is oxidized at the anode to produce mono-atomic (O) and diatomic (O2) oxygen gas and water (H2O) vapor plus electrons (e-), which are transported externally to the cathode. The electrical energy of electrolysis promotes the lone-pair electrons of oxygen atoms to higher energy levels in the oxygen gas (O, O2) and in water (H2O) vapor. Since the energy difference ΔE between adjacent levels is small the life time Δt, related by ΔE-Δt >= h , is long to keep them stay promoted for a long time even after electrolysis. This increases the latent heat of combustion of the water-electrolysis gas-mixture, which though cool at about 130°C (266°F) can melt metals. When the electrolysis gas torch is directed to liquid water, gas’s water vapor component quietly dissolves un-burnt without producing enough heat to boil the liquid water. But water does boil if the gas torch heats the container from outside. The gas mixture burns in vacuum because no oxygen is needed from outside. No other theory, past or current, is so natural and explanatory.
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