New Aluminum "Catalyst" Makes Hydrogen From Water (i.e., liberals going crazy over perpetual motion)

Science Magazine ^ | January 23, 2009 | Patrick J. Roach, W. Hunter Woodward,1 A. W. Castleman, Jr., Arthur C. Reber, Shiv N. Khanna

[OldGuard1]

So, this paper was published recently in Science Magazine:

Complementary Active Sites Cause Size-Selective Reactivity of Aluminum Cluster Anions with Water

The reactions of metal clusters with small molecules often depend on cluster size. The selectivity of oxygen reactions with aluminum cluster anions can be well described within an electronic shell model; however, not all reactions are subject to the same fundamental constraints. We observed the size selectivity of aluminum cluster anion reactions with water, which can be attributed to the dissociative chemisorption of water at specific surface sites. The reactivity depends on geometric rather than electronic shell structure. Identical arrangements of multiple active sites in Al16–, Al17–, and Al18– result in the production of H2 from water.

Basically, it's talking about how if you make tiny particles of aluminum, you can prevent them from forming an impermiable oxide layer, making them reactive with water. As the aluminum reacts, it releases hydrogen, which could be used in hydrogen cars.

Great. Scientific research in progress, right?

Well, apparently liberal groups have taken this research and either completely missed over the fact that the aluminum is consumed in the process or are convinced that turning the consumed aluminum back to normal is a trivial step. For example, on Daily Kos, a single thread on the topic (out of a couple) has attracted hundreds of posts, almost all of which are oohing and aahing over what they see as free energy. And when some people try to point out that trivial thing called physics to them, they usually get shouted down. Example:

nosleep4u: "they still haven't removed the hydroxyl groups that contaminate the aluminum. Although the article says they have ideas on that. This is actually quite interesting. If they get the contamination problem fixed, you could build a near-zero energy air-conditioner. Among other cool stuff. Pun intended. Sorry. Member, The Angry Left."

rfall: "Since an air conditioner is a heat pump ...you can never build a "near zero energy air conditioner". To move heat energy "uphill", against the thermal gradient, requires energy input. And, because of the real world, it also requires more energy to move a given amount of energy uphill. "Certainly the game is rigged. Don't let that stop you; if you don't bet, you can't win." Lazurus Long"

BrowniesAreGood: "You don't understand. A "heat pump" is not a chemical process. This is ENTIRELY different and the original commenter is correct (at least theoretically if not practically)."

[Greysard]

Here is a simple method of sanity checking this proposal. When you burn hydrogen in oxygen you get plenty of heat (really a lot, that's why Shuttle uses this combination.)

To reverse this process and free hydrogen (and oxygen to that matter) you need to spend a comparable amount of energy. This hydrogen from water will cost you.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Creative and funny but when you add in the costs of Friskies, flea collars, kitty litter and first aid it’s still a negative producer.

I was thinking of something far more radical. If we could harness the energy expended by gerbils trying to escape the confines of deranged humans on the Left Coast...

Seriously though - we’re still stuck in Einstein’s idea of the universe’s laws and no one has gotten out of that. Many have postulated alternate theories and near-ironclad mathematical proof that other means exist. The problem lies in our limited ability to surpass our perception. Our math is exceeding our ability to prove truth because we’re trapped in the limits of where we are (linear time, three dimensions, one vote unless you’re a dead Democrat).

I bet some other “higher” culture is seeing this and loading what serves as their shorts.

[Prospero]

Anything involving hydrogen is really wasteful. This probably even moreso. Plus, fuel cells cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for one big enough to run a car.

Not so, really. It makes an excellent motor fuel, with three and a half times the explosive capacity than gasoline, which is a hydro-carbon, after all... really a method for delivering Hydrogen stored in a carbon bond for storage at ambient temperature. In 1980, my friends and I were experimenting with metal hydrides, like Nickle, and came to the conclusion that it made an excellent way to store energy using non-peak grid resources.

The greenies love it for the same reasons I liked the clean air aspect, in a way, back before it became a fashion statement. It's exhaust is steam, which is ironic. The Global Warming minority is so worried about Carbon Dioxide as a Greenhouse Gas when water vapor is, by far, the most influential of the greenhouse "gases."

Makes a lot more sense than the ice-slinging, bird-killing windmills city folks want to deploy anywhere in rural areas where people like their peace and quiet.

[ASOC]

They sold it to Honda - and Honda is selling it back to us in 10 mpg increments....

[El Gato]

It probably costs more in energy to make the aluminum than the hydrogen would provide.

No probably about it. It has to.

But that doesn't mean the technology might not be useful as a storage mechanism. Like a pretty high energy density battery.

You still have find some way to provide the energy to "charge" the battery." But that could be a form that would be very difficult and/or inefficient if done on a such a small scale as an individual car. Nuclear, coal, maybe natural gas (although that could be used directly, effeciency might be better with this process as an intermedicate storage technique

[NewRomeTacitus]

Matter begets energy begets matter, etc. as far as we can perceive.

Without perfection there’s always bleed-off during each transition of energy or matter. That’s the atomic level we’re able to know.

Subatomics is where positive and negative mass particles collide, merge and bounce in odd configurations. Hawking postulated that singularities (black holes) are conduits where the negative mass particles are converged and projected to creation of new matter/existence. We need to explore these ideas and we have the means to create tools for that. Our United States took a lead in the 1980s with the Super Collider project, carving out a nine mile trench in Texas where miracles were possible.

Unfortunately political squabbling over kickback revenues killed it, leaving humanity dependent on the third-size Fermi laboratory in Europe - where the US is not on the hot list when profound discoveries are made.

If Islamic millionaires beloved of Jihadists can access this information (we’re talking basic forces of nature) and we can not, why does that trench in Texas remain empty?

Doesn’t that beat the trillions of dollars propping up bad management with no value in sight?

[starlifter]

All we really need to do is commercialize the flux capacitor.

[TheOldLady]

"...if scientists can efficiently break the covalent bond of hydrogen to oxygen in water..."

Big if.

[Kozak]

Not so, really. It makes an excellent motor fuel, with three and a half times the explosive capacity than gasoline,

Just as soon as we can mine it from say, Jupiter. There's no source of hydrogen you can just pump out of the ground, like oh I don't know, oil. Other wise you have to go about breaking those pesky bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen or carbon and that takes LOTS of energy.

[BipolarBob]

(insert “Aw Jeez, Not this crap again pic). Yes hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe. It just doesn’t happen to be in plentiful supply here on earth in a pure usable form.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1781558/posts

[Tenniel2]

With all due respect, hydrogen is not the most plentiful element in the universe. Stupidity is the most plentiful element in the universe, and is present here on earth in geometrically expanding quantities -- in inverse proportion to intelligence, common sense, and good taste.

[BipolarBob]

After reading your reply, I must agree.

[tacticalogic]

Hydrogen stored in a carbon bond for storage at ambient temperature. In 1980, my friends and I were experimenting with metal hydrides, like Nickle, and came to the conclusion that it made an excellent way to store energy using non-peak grid resources.

That makes more sense. Separating hydrogen from carbon should be a substantially different proposition, energy-wise, than separating hydrogen from oxygen.

It costs you some energy to get the carbon separated from the hydrogen, but you get a lot more back when you combine the hydrogen with oxygen in the combustion chamber.

If you're storing hydrogen bound to oxygen, then breaking that bond to get free hydrogen is costing you at least as much energy as you're going to get back in the combustion chamber, and that's assuming a 100% efficient method of breaking that bond.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Flux capacitor...good one.

The more I read about science and the hierarchy dominating it the more I’m convinced that great insights are quashed and dismissed almost daily. If the scientific community weren’t dominated by selfish and foolish interests we wouldn’t have ridiculous “wind farms” pretending to supplant real sources of power at taxpayer expense (seems climbing up the towers and oiling the gears is one of those jobs Americans aren’t willing to do).

Americans scamming the government’s push for Wind Farms.

Very sad that the scientific community feels compelled to lick their collective finger and hold it up to see which way the political wind is blowing. Then again I can’t recall, historically, when scientists EVER had an upper hand that they fully realized.