Ask A Scientist Chemistry Archive

Question:  We'd like to know how much it would cost to make pure
hydrogen by electrolysis, as part of a class assignment.
Per liter, preferably.
This note is posted by one of my students.
Thanks!
 andy gamble

Answer:  How much it would cost ultimately depends on the
cost of electricity in your town....you need to know
the cost per kilowatt - hour. Then, you can make
some simple assumptions about your electrolysis setup
(no interfacial potentials, etc) and use the usual relations
like V=IR and P = I^2 R to get at the cost per mole...
taking into account the minimum electric potential which
must be applied to get the reaction to go.
 
If you want to do a little research and find out the
cost per kW-hour in your community, I'll be glad to work with you
to solve this problem - it's pretty straightforward.
 
-topper