Question

I'm trying to increase the transport of electricity in the tap water I use in my dry cell electrolyser. Table salt is out, as it rusts the stainless steel electrodes and produces toxic gasses. Lye is caustic to skin and mucous membranes but the next best option as the products of the reaction seem to be harmless. Then I thought of water glass (sodium metasilicate) as a solution. It dissolves in water and acts well enough as an electrolyte but less extreme than lye and perhaps more stable. I got an appreciable increase in the production of hydrogen and oxygen in a simple test setup.

So what happens chemically when we use a solution of water and sodium metasilicate and say run 12 volts through it using stainless steel electrodes? Was I creating toxic silanes? What really happened?

Answer 1

In the electrolysis process using a solution of water and sodium metasilicate, the water is reduced to hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions at the cathode, and oxidized to oxygen gas and hydrogen ions at the anode. No toxic silanes are produced.

Step-by-step explanation:

Chemical Reactions in Electrolysis

In the electrolysis process, when a solution of water and sodium metasilicate is subjected to an electric current by using stainless steel electrodes and applying 12 volts, chemical reactions occur at the electrodes. At the cathode (negative electrode), water is reduced to hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions. At the anode (positive electrode), water is oxidized to oxygen gas and hydrogen ions.

No toxic silanes are produced in this process.