Brently -
I think that the reason that you can't find any
information on this is because it is not a very safe thing to do. To
combine hydrogen and oxygen to make water, you basically have to mix
the gases together and light them with a match. Just mixing the gases
together isn't enough - you have to do something to get the chemical
reaction started. The problem is that this creates a
big
explosion. I've seen this done as a demonstration by college professors
(under very controlled circumstances), but it's really
not
something that you should try at home. A famous example of a
hydrogen/oxygen explosion performed under uncontrolled circumstances is
the deadly 1937 explosion of the Hindenburg zeppelin in New Jersey:
For
this reason, no one fills large balloons with hydrogen anymore,
preferring the much safer non-flammable helium for blimps.
There
are plenty of other chemical reactions that you could do to make water.
For instance, you can mix an acid like vinegar with a base like baking
soda. This reaction will produce lots and lots of bubbles (carbon
dioxide) as well as water. (But you shouldn't drink it - it will have
sodium acetate in there too.) For a page on how to do the experiment,
look
here.
-Tamara, Tim, & Tom
(published on 10/22/2007)
