New Electrolysis Method Discovered

A unique approach developed by Professor David Milstein at the Weizmann Institute’s Organic Chemistry Department, make huge steps in making this process more effcient. His demonstrated a new mode of bond generation between oxygen atoms. It is the generation of oxygen gas by the formation of a bond between two oxygen atoms originating from water molecules that proves to be the bottleneck in the water splitting process. Their results have recently been published in Science.

Nature, by taking a different path, has evolved a very efficient process: photosynthesis. Dr. Milstein's process consists of consecutive thermal and light driven steps and includes some special metal complex (ruthenium), this passive process breaks down the bonds in water of H20 to H and O and they bind to the metal center. At this stage the process has heat applied (100c) and the hydrogen is released.

Weizmann Institute of Science (2009, April 8). New Way To Split Water Into Hydrogen And Oxygen Developed. ScienceDaily.