BREAKING BONDS - ELECTRLYSIS

PROBLEM: Can you "break" water into its elemental components?

HYPOTHESIS:

PROCEDURE:

MATERIALS: 2 carbon rods, 2 wires with alligator clips, 2 ten ml test tubes or graduated cyclinders, one 6 volt battery, epsom salt, water, wood stick,  match, one 250 ml beaker, matches

Use the diagram on the right to help you set up your apparatus.

1. When you submerge both rods into the beaker what happens?
   
   
    
2. After about 10 minutes, describe the amount of gas collected in each test tube.
   
   
    
3. Use the test tube with the larger amount of gas collected.  Test it for hydrogen. BE CAREFUL...follow all instructions. Carefully hold the graduated cylinder upside down, remove it from the water. Bring a burning wood stick, to the mouth of the upside down graduated cylinder. Describe what happens.
   
   
    
4.  For the other graduated cylinder, cover the mouth of it before you remove it from the water. Turn it right side up when you get it outside of the beaker. Insert a GLOWING wood stick into the graduated cylinder. Describe what happens.

  CONCLUSIONS: