[Corvettaholic]

So everyone knows you can break down water into hydrogen and oxygen by applying electricity. Isn't it something like 9V and pitiful amount of current is all thats needed?

What I'm wondering is if you took the output to a 100kV marx generator and stuck it in water. One heavy duty coax cable going into the water for the cathode, and another wire coming out and into ground for the anode. How would this effect electrolysis? Can you apply this to other aqueous solutions that are normally harder to break down?

(sorry if there's a duplicate, having posting problems)

[limpet chicken]

I think at a voltage like that, the water would flash boil, and vaporise almost instantaneously.

Some electrolysis procedures are current/voltage sensitive, such as producing sodium metal from NaOH. Too much juice will often cause the formation of a grayish intermediate "alloy" type compound containing both NaOH and Na metal.

Stuff sparks and cracks on exposure to water, yet even on heating, no sodium metal is liberated from that (evil) intermediate compound.

Of course, with extremely high voltages, I suppose its possible, for the rules to be slightly different, not sure of specifics though.

[Corvettaholic]

Usually rules change at disgusting voltage levels when dealing with anything. It'd be fun to play with a megavolt and just stick it in things and see what happens. A lot of neat inventions ARE discoverd by accident you know! I guess some fatalities are too...