Hi,
More info found on the net. This came from Rufus.
Water has low energy (enthalpy),
water vapour has higher energy,
hydrogen gas has a higher energy (similarly oxygen gas),
individual hydrogen atoms have a higher energy (similarly oxygen),
ions have highest energy
Ions are the atoms with different electron counts.
So potential energy from the valence bonds are dependant on the state of ionization, not just the presence of.
At dissociation, we have monatomic hydrogen and oxygen. It is immediately afterwards that autorecombination begins, with the simpler compounds leading the fray.. diatomic hydrogen and oxygen. (H2, O2) It's a question of demand, and why it's easier to make triox and trihydrogen is a bother.
Ionization of the gases occures in de cell as a function of the process. Further ionization is done in later stages - the gas gun, and the "electron filter" (forgot his cutsey name for it) The purpose of that later ionizing serves multiple points... a, preventing autorecombination . If you have for instance, a net - H1 ion, you have a single proton, and two electrons with no room for others at that point. the more you prevent e2 from going rouge, the longer we have H1 in a closed shop. The second function is to up the conductivity and kinetic potential for the burn.
When the ionized H and O atomic gas combusts, they are trying to get to the lowest possible energy state. As they combust the difference between the starting energy state and the lowest possible energy state is captured and utilized for practical purposes.
br
Steve
