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What does it mean when we say that water molecules break apart?

User Clon
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2 Answers

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In the case of water, hydrogen bonds form between neighboring hydrogen and oxygen atoms of adjacent water molecules. ... However, because hydrogen bonds are weaker than covalent bonds, in liquid water they form, break, and reform easily. Thus, the exact number of hydrogen bonds formed per molecule varies.

User Vikram Gulia
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I give you the word equation first and then the chemical equation.

Water + electricity = Hydrogen + Oxygen

What that means is that if you have same sort of mineral that won't separate with the electricity put in the water, then you get the water "breaking down" into oxygen and hydrogen.

2H2O ===> 2H2 + O2

At this stage you don't have to worry about what the 2 in front of the hydrogen and the 2 in front of the water means. One of the properties of water is that it is hard to get the water molecule to break down. Not impossible. Just hard.

User Pleluron
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