# How do you seperate water into its two elements **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 31, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251 "2012-08-31T13:10:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcom_Systems_Ltd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/1 "2012-08-31T13:10:10Z")
What is the process to seperate water into its tow basic elements? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/2 "2012-08-31T13:15:57Z")
Very tiny tweezers. Seriously, I’m most familiar with the [electrolysis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolysis_of_water) method of [water splitting](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_splitting). As you will note, if you’re planning on using the hydrogen and oxygen for power generation this is probably not the way to go as you end up using more power splitting the water than you’ll be able to subsequently generate. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/3 "2012-08-31T13:22:34Z")
I agree with the electrolysis answer. We did that process in 10th-grade chemistry. We ended up with a tube of hydrogen and a tube of oxygen (there was twice as much hydrogen, surprise surprise). ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/4 "2012-08-31T13:27:57Z")
There’s also photocatalytic water splitting, directly using light and a catalyst > **[Photocatalytic water splitting](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocatalytic_water_splitting)** > > Photocatalytic water splitting is a process that uses photocatalysis for the dissociation of water (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Only light energy (photons), water, and a catalyst(s) are needed, since this is what naturally occurs in natural photosynthetic oxygen production and CO2 fixation. > Hydrogen fuel production using water and light (photocatalytic water splitting), instead of petroleum, is an important renewable energy strategy. > 2 mol .mw-parser-output .template-chem2-su{displ... ---
**Author:** ![Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcom_Systems_Ltd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/5 "2012-08-31T13:30:44Z")
Thanks for the links ---
**Author:** ![Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9f8e36/32.png) [@Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcom_Systems_Ltd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/6 "2012-08-31T13:33:58Z")
Love the tiny tweezers remark. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/7 "2012-08-31T13:36:12Z")
And then you can burn the H[sub]2[/sub]. Free, clean energy! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/8 "2012-08-31T14:14:39Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > And then you can burn the H[sub]2[/sub]. Free, clean energy! 😃 Free! Except for the cost of those darned tiny tweezers. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/9 "2012-08-31T14:32:11Z")
> [@Telcom\_Systems\_Ltd](#): > > Love the tiny tweezers remark. But they must be zircon-encrusted. ---
**Author:** ![Rubixcube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rubixcube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubixcube)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/10 "2012-08-31T14:40:07Z")
Just be very _very_ careful with those tweezers, else you risk exposing yourself to large amounts of dihydrogen monoxide. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/11 "2012-09-02T03:39:19Z")
> [@Rubixcube](#): > > Just be very _very_ careful with those tweezers, else you risk exposing yourself to large amounts of dihydrogen monoxide. That’s why mine are zircon encrusted. I learned the hard way. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/12 "2012-09-02T08:09:04Z")
> [@Rubixcube](#): > > Just be very _very_ careful with those tweezers, else you risk exposing yourself to large amounts of dihydrogen monoxide. Meh. I’ve been drinking the stuff for years. I even bathe my body in it. I freeze the stuff and put it in my drinks, too. I guess I’m some kind of super-human. I seem to be impervious to it in moderate amounts. The only thing I haven’t tried to do is inhale it. Something tells me this would not be a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-seperate-water-into-its-two-elements/633251/13 "2012-09-03T12:06:57Z")
Alternatively, employ tiny [demons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell's_demon) and have them bring their own tweezers. Problem solved!