[NewCandle] bubbling red herrings

[Keith Nagel]

Hi Nick,

My point about the magnesium was that it is a common
alloying agent in aluminum foils/rodstock. So you'd
always have some Mg floating around in the electrolyte
after doing some electrolysis. As you have seen, adding
Mg salt really beefed up the effect. Perhaps to better
understand this you might try using pure aluminum
electrodes? 

Also, I have some powdered Al, if push comes to shove.
I don't think it would be too dangerous, although
if you have an unregulated power supply you might strike
an arc. That would be messy.

K.

-----Original Message-----
From: newcandle-bounces at ipdiscover.com
[mailto:newcandle-bounces at ipdiscover.com]On Behalf Of Nick Reiter
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 2:39 PM
To: New energy for the new world.
Subject: [NewCandle] bubbling red herrings


Some more news from the AC electrolysis with aluminum
world...

>From some further experiments Sam Faile did last week,
and some playing around with my little Mason jar rig
in the kitchen, it looks pretty assured that the
on-going bubbling after power removal is an
aluminum-water reaction, jump-started by a period of
electrolytic action (maybe altering the pH?).  The
point being that one doesn't need to use red herring
magnesia or calcium hydroxide or any particular
electrolyte.  All that is needed apparently is just
enough stray ionic presence to get some conductivity
between the inner twisted foil rod and outer twisted
foil helix electrodes, let it cook with AC for a
couple of hours, and then one continues to get bubbles
(presumably H2) for up to 12 hours afterward.

I think the other novelty of the arrangement really is
the MAJOR infolded surface area of using thin foil
twisted into electrodes of more compact volume. 
Probably why it wasn't that noticeable with anode glow
electrodes like Al welding rod or pop can bottoms.

Which of course makes me danger-lust in a thrillkill
way to see what happens if one has a baseline
electrolytic cell going, say with stainless electrodes
in a weak ionic water solution, and then toss in some
finely divided aluminum powder.  Maybe it would glow
bright for a few minutes, make oodles of H2 gas, then
settle out as Al2O3 dust.  Or it might blow up. 
Gawrsh, Bob^115 can't sell me pyrotechnic supplies
anymore.  Dang.

N^16


 
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