Battery acid and salt water

[robherc]

oops, 0.21cal fuel lump (just checked the volumes)

[chabrenas]

Wish I could guess things that well when it actually mattered!!!

Maybe you will from now on. All that training has finally paid off...

[chabrenas]

O.25cal vs 0.21cal? Close enough for government work...

Wonder if this is going to up the budget for competitors in the next Vendée Globe?

[MattZ]

You may get some hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas, but very little since this gas is highly soluble in water.

If the sea water gets into the battery you have a different problem that could produce chlorine, and possibly increase the hydrogen output because any sodium metal produced by electrolysis will immediately react with water to produce hydrogen gas.

[chabrenas]

Thanks, MattZ. Can anyone post the equations for the reactions that take place?

[MattZ]

H+ + Cl- <----> HCl(aq)

Note the double ended arrow, this is a chemical equilibrium. The HCl could then come out of solution. It is a very toxic gas, and on contact with water it will readily dissolve in water to make hydrochloric acid. Due to the high dissociativity of HCl, the yield of HCl should be very small.

Na+ + e- -----> Na
2 Na + 2H20 ------> H2 + 2 OH-

[Submarine Tom]

Post number 4 on this thread claims an incorrect average ocean salinity of 2 - 3 %.

The correct figure is 3.9% by weight.

Tom

[MattZ]

Originally Posted by Submarine Tom

Post number 4 on this thread claims an incorrect average ocean salinity of 2 - 3 %.

The correct figure is 3.9% by weight.

Tom

3.1% - 3.8%

Varies based on temperature and location. (Typically higher at the equator and poles, lower at the mid latitudes.