http://sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000EE96B-C0B8-1314-80B883414B7F0000
""We have discovered a catalyst that can produce ready quantities of hydrogen without the need for extreme cold temperatures or high pressures, which are often required in other production and storage methods," [] The compound he and his colleagues used is a so-called coordination complex based on the metal rhenium.
[] the team combined organosilanes and water in the presence of the rhenium complex at ambient temperature and pressure. After an hour, the reaction had produced hydrogen gas in addition to silanols. [] the method generates a large amount of hydrogen compared to the amount of water used."
why not just stick an anode and a cathode in h20?
>why not just stick an anode and a cathode in h20?
Energy requirement. Plus you could produce H2 on the spot without a source of electricity. Notice the:
>can produce ready quantities of hydrogen without the need for extreme cold temperatures or high pressures, which are often required in other production and storage methods
Then where does the energy come from? If they claim it's a catalyst, the energy can't be stored in the substance itself, since it's not supposed to be affected by the reaction it catalyzes.
The writeup is kind of missing the crucial details.
I would guess the organosilane sidechains are oxidated and the H2O reduced leaving you with silanol and H2.
If you can get a cheap source for organosilanes (the article did mention that the cost are still prohibitive) this process could be more efficient than electrolysis. That's what I meant with "energy requirement".
But that would hardly be a "catalyst", would it?
Yeah, the article smells kind of like:
1, ZOMG we need a magical source of hydrogen!
2, ??????
3, PROFIT!
>>6
The catalyst is the rhenium complex that seems to enables the organosilan -> silanol reaction at ambient temperature in the first place. The article is not very well written.
Oh, that makes more sense.
And people still think hydrogen will save us... sigh
Thank you for this important contribution to the discussion at hand.