[Jay-qu]

Originally Posted by Avarice

I'm perplexxed, why did the solution become green? I don't know alot about chemistry, but if salt is NaCl, and Chlorine is a greenish color, I suspect that is what was in the solution after putting AC through it but I don't know.

That is a fairly logical deduction - but I still doubt it. For Chlorine to be green it has to be in gaseous form, wich means from its Cl- it has to give up the extra electon. Chlorine is a very (one of the highest) electonegative element so when you are doing standard electrolisis the one losing electrons will be the oxidant with the smallest e^0 value that is present in the solution. And as it so happens that H2O is present and is more readily oxidised than Cl- it will be the one losing the electrons. BUT if you have an very high concentration of NaCl then some electrolysis of Cl- can occur and you should have had bubbles not a green solution...
I was thinking that if you put wires in the solution then they are copper wires so when copper oxidises it becomes green.

[infamous]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

I was thinking that if you put wires in the solution then they are copper wires so when copper oxidises it becomes green.

Absolutely; resulting in a copper cloride, sodium hydroxide solution.................Infy

[arkain101]

HAHAHHAHA,

leave it to someone to stick a bunch of bare wires in salty water and give it a go. Oh man, kind of funny even though it was a really bad idea. Did you at least wear some eye protection? jk

[shawn.baker]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

No

What about 3 phase AC? Since that is supposed to produce a more constant voltage potential, wouldn't that be closer to a steady dc?

[ronthepon]

If you want electrolysis of the real kind, you need to move electrons constantly from one radical to another.

As long as you achieve that, you achieve electrolysis.

[hallenrm]

I am a bit perplexed with the various posts. Here in India, people often dip two wires connected sometimes to two shaving blades and directly connect them to AC for heating water without the help of a heating element; and it works without any green colours being observed. This practice is fairly widely practiced. IN fact one does see bubbles of gas escaping from the blades. I think, the green colour etc. is because of high current density, because of very thin electrodes placed very close to one another.

[Boerseun]

Originally Posted by hallenrm

I am a bit perplexed with the various posts. Here in India, people often dip two wires connected sometimes to two shaving blades and directly connect them to AC for heating water without the help of a heating element;

Definitely not a practice to be recommended... ...

Originally Posted by hallenrm

and it works without any green colours being observed.

Most likely because shaving blades aren't made of copper. See if you can find old coins - where they've oxydised, they've got green gunk on it. It's copper "rust", if you will.

Originally Posted by hallenrm

This practice is fairly widely practiced. IN fact one does see bubbles of gas escaping from the blades.

Being AC, that's most likely bubbles of steam forming on the blade surface, very much like a kettle element would create tiny bubbles of gas which will grow bigger and bigger as the water warms up till the whole lot eventually boils.

Originally Posted by hallenrm

I think, the green colour etc. is because of high current density, because of very thin electrodes placed very close to one another.

Nah - most likely copper. And the reason making a dead short through shaving blades don't melt your wall plug is because it's actually heating up because of higher resistance - the current is actually doing some work. Same with a kettle element, which is also a dead short. It has high resistance, so the current flow will have to do some work in passing through it, resulting in warming the element up. When dead-shorting naked copper wire, especially in a saline solution, there's not a lot of effort for the electrons to pass, and it should actually trip your DB box before the plug could melt.

Don't try any of this at home, kids...

[Jay-qu]

Three phase is just 3 waveforms of standard AC but each out of phase with each other, this doesnt make a difference.

[hallenrm]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

Definitely not a practice to be recommended... ...

Only as much as it is recommended to smoke cigarettes, drink liquor or use drugs!!!

Originally Posted by Boerseun

Most likely because shaving blades aren't made of copper. See if you can find old coins - where they've oxydised, they've got green gunk on it. It's copper "rust", if you will.
Being AC, that's most likely bubbles of steam forming on the blade surface, very much like a kettle element would create tiny bubbles of gas which will grow bigger and bigger as the water warms up till the whole lot eventually boils.

No, the phenomenon of electrolysis depend only on the presence of a minimum potential across the electrodes. The electrode material only affects the electrode overpotential. So, whether it is AC or DC electrolysis can take place, the only difference could be that the cathode and anode change places between themselves, when it is AC, at the frquency of the AC; so it won't be a particular gas that is evolved at a particular electrode.[/quote]

Originally Posted by Boerseun

Nah - most likely copper. And the reason making a dead short through shaving blades don't melt your wall plug is because it's actually heating up because of higher resistance - the current is actually doing some work. Same with a kettle element, which is also a dead short. It has high resistance, so the current flow will have to do some work in passing through it, resulting in warming the element up. When dead-shorting naked copper wire, especially in a saline solution, there's not a lot of effort for the electrons to pass, and it should actually trip your DB box before the plug could melt.

That's true regardless of the electrode material, the current drawn from the mains depends on the resistance between the electrodes; addition of salt reduces the resistance and increasing the distance between the electrodes increases it.

Originally Posted by Boerseun

Don't try any of this at home, kids...

In India, kids often do it, just to save the expense on an heating element. Yes it requires some precautions!!!

[Vending]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

No

I think you are wrong here. Care to explain your answer?

It seems to me that all that is needed is the correct potential for the splitting of water. Electron transfer from the electrode is most likely on the micro to nanosecond timescale and so most ossilating currents should not be a problem.

But perhaps you have a different reason for you answer?