Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Water splitting is the chemical reaction in which water is broken down into oxygen and hydrogen: [1] 2 H 2 O → 2 H 2 + O 2 Efficient and economical water splitting would be a technological breakthrough that could underpin a hydrogen economy .
In pure water at the negatively charged cathode, a reduction reaction takes place, with electrons (e −) from the cathode being given to hydrogen cations to form hydrogen gas. At the positively charged anode, an oxidation reaction occurs, generating oxygen gas and giving electrons to the anode to complete the circuit.
Solvated electrons are involved in the reaction of alkali metals with water, even though the solvated electron has only a fleeting existence. [10] Below pH = 9.6 the hydrated electron reacts with the hydronium ion giving atomic hydrogen, which in turn can react with the hydrated electron giving hydroxide ion and usual molecular hydrogen H 2. [11]
Each bond consists of a pair of electrons, so if t is the total number of electrons to be placed and n is the number of single bonds just drawn, t−2n electrons remain to be placed. These are temporarily drawn as dots, one per electron, to a maximum of eight per atom (two in the case of hydrogen), minus two for each bond.
The light-harvesting system of PSI uses multiple copies of the same transmembrane proteins used by PSII. The energy of absorbed light (in the form of delocalized, high-energy electrons) is funneled into the reaction center, where it excites special chlorophyll molecules (P700, with maximum light absorption at 700 nm) to a higher energy level.
Photocatalysts must conform to several key principles in order to be considered effective at water splitting. A key principle is that H 2 and O 2 evolution should occur in a stoichiometric 2:1 ratio; significant deviation could be due to a flaw in the experimental setup and/or a side reaction, neither of which indicate a reliable photocatalyst for water splitting.
The chemical reactions in the cell involve the electrolyte, electrodes, and/or an external substance (fuel cells may use hydrogen gas as a reactant). In a full electrochemical cell, species from one half-cell lose electrons to their electrode while species from the other half-cell gain electrons from their electrode.
S 4 reacts with water producing free oxygen: 2 H 2 O → O 2 + 4 H + + 4 e −. This conversion resets the catalyst to the S 0 state. The active site of the OEC consists of a cluster of manganese and calcium with the formula Mn 4 Ca 1 O x Cl 1–2 (HCO 3) y. This cluster is bound to D 1 and CP 43 subunits and stabilized by peripheral membrane ...