Linnard?s hydrogen on demand system without electricity !

[Dingus Mungus]

Hmmm Dingus, not sure of the chemistry;

DOH!!!
You're right...

3Zn(OH)4 + Al2O3 = 3Zn(OH)2 + 2Al(OH)3 + 3O2

I got ZnO and Zn(OH)2 confused... I'm still not positive about this reaction, but this seems to be what I observed in my replication cells I launched earlier this week. We need more chemists here! Please let me know what you discover with your FTIR analysis.

[ResinRat2]

Please let me know what you discover with your FTIR analysis.

Sorry Dingus, I can't let you see the FTIR results. Sorry.

                 

Just kidding  ----->>>
Don't worry buddy, all the results will be posted here.

[Dingus Mungus]

Sorry Dingus, I can't let you see the FTIR results.

HA! I'm so jealous you have access to that kinda gear... I'm still trying to meet some ASU chemistry majors so I can bribe them in to doing some similar tests for me. I'm glad you're around to help when it comes to getting past just theory.

~Dingus

[ResinRat2]

Hi Everyone,

I have some interesting data:

I did some FTIR scans of the grey blob I obtained from the zinc regeneration experiment that was suggested by Dr. Linnard Griffin. This grey blob formed on the aluminum electrode that replaced the zinc electrode in a cell that had run for a while. These results are interesting and confirmed a few things.

If you look at the bottom picture you will see the scan for the regenerated electrode after it had been dried for three hours at 250?F. This was needed because the IR picks up the -OH group of the water molecule as a large broad peak between about 2900-3700 (cm-1). These numbers are the wavenumbers at the bottom scale of the scan. So it is important to drive off any residual water from the sample in order to get a valid scan. Notice the bottom picture has really only one prominent peak around 1400-1500(cm-1). This made it very easy for the computer to do a library search and come up with the identity as Zinc Carbonate. (ZnCO₃).

This was confusing, and I was trying to understand where the carbonate ion came from. Afterall, there is no carbon in the cell. Just NaOH, Mg, Ag, Tungsten, and zinc electrodes in water. No carbon anywhere.

Then came the revelation. I had assumed earlier that zincate complexes:

[Zn(OH)₄]^-2

were part of the make-up of the cell, and were the main form of the solublized Zinc. This was the form I expected to see on the IR. The zinc scan with a -OH peak after it had been dried; but if you look at the top scan and see the second and third scans you will see a gradual reduction of the OH peak as it dried. These are the air dry, 30 min dry, and 3 hour dry samples at 250?F.

What is really happening is that the Zinc hydroxide [Zn(OH)₂] in the blob

is reacting with Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) in the oven. This follows the formula:

Zn(OH)₂    +    CO₂   -->     ZnCO₃    +   H₂O
  Zinc           Carbon            Zinc          Water
Hydroxide      Dioxide          Carbonate

So the water is no longer seen because it is driven off, and the carbonate group is formed.

So the original statement I made earlier, that zincates make up the regenerated zinc, was correct.

Also the scan for NaOH has the same promenant peak as the Zinc Carbonate, but the group around 3500(cm-1) was missing, so I know the NaOH did not effect the scans.

What this all means is that I was correct. The solublized zinc in the cell that is regenerating is in the form of zincate complexes; and this is what makes up the regenerated zinc electrode. It also tells me that there is a possibility that doing the dip/dry method with the aluminum electrode may seal the aluminum enough, if done properly, from reacting with the NaOH solution and producing hydrogen.

So I will try to get a zinc coating on the aluminum electrode first. Hoping to completely seal it from the NaOH solution; and once that coating is composed of many dried coats, I will again immerse it in the solution and connect it to the tungsten and see if it regenerates, or is used up, or whatever else happens.

I think this is what Dr. Griffin wanted us to do.

Thank you for your interest.

[Dingus Mungus]

Great explanation and results, you even figured out the Carbon curve ball for us.

So if it is O-H zincate complexes that plate to the aluminum, what would be our purpose in collecting them in such a way? Forgive me, but I don't see what advantage it would give us in the reduction cycle if the Al is consumed by the process? I think this was more of a lead then a solution... I think he showed us "a metal" to use, but not "thee" metal to use. More research to be done for sure. Also it seems to me that based on this heated air enviornment experiment, the solar heated zinc reduction facilities I've been reading about are probably releasing high levels of CO2. Real shame if you ask me.

Thanks for the great data!
~Dingus