Hi steve
In the electrolysis process the oxygen that goes out is stabilized there is no missing electrons. The oxygen when is in the form of water molecule shares 2 electrons with the hydrogen atoms, thus there are 10 electrons in the molecule, when you apply the voltage it induce a flow of electrons witch will split the water by oxidation and reduction reactions witch will gain and lose electrons, but actually in the end oxygen goes out with 8 electrons and hydrogen with 1 electron each atom.
The doc said to me that the plasma or when you have ionization you will end up with an ion witch in this case lets take oxygen and free electrons, but he said that they remain there all together if it's really hot, if it's not it will recombine to stabilize immediately.
To achieve plasmas with lower temperature they use cesium or sodium vapor ( like in the vacuum vapor lamps) because they have a lower work function witch allows this atoms to free electrons or to become ionized at lower temperatures or smaller energy. Lithium also have a low work function. than they use this initial conductivity to push thru it the huge current witch heat up the atoms of the gas making it to become ionized.
About the stan assumption of consuming electrons i don't really know, because electrons are electrons and can't become photons or anything else, and they will always be there because being a negative charge and having the atom become positively charged they attract. At least that was what the doctor said.
"If you could put a coulomb of electrons inside a box and one coulomb of ions in another box and let them be 1 meter far from each other the attraction force will be = to the attraction the sun have in relation to the earth or something like that. "
Yes i know this fan behavior of the ionizer it smells ozone also, is the principle behind ion thrusters called also ehd thrusters ...
Did the ionization you are doing helped in someway the engine performance?
Best Regards