Recent comments in /f/askscience

ECatPlay t1_jdvu65s wrote

Reply to During Electrolysis of Water, what happens to oxygen at the cathode and hydrogen at the anode? by Martinjg_ge

>I mean, the water molecule is split somewhere

I think you are getting hung up thinking of it as the water molecule. Keep in mind water is a sea of molecules, with a lot of exchanges going on:

H2O ⇌ H^+ + OH^-

OH^- + H2O ⇌ H2O + OH^-

H^+ + H2O ⇌ H3O^+

H3O^+ + H2O ⇌ H2O + H3O^+

So when the hydrogen in a water molecule near the cathode accepts an electron to start forming H2, the remaining OH^- doesn't itself have to migrate to the anode to be oxidized to O2. It just has to exchange with a neighboring water molecule's hydrogen, so now there is a new OH^- a little closer to the anode. So you end up with H^(+)'s being transferred along through the aqueous medium, something like a bucket brigade, to keep supplying H^+ to the cathode and OH^- to the anode, but not necessarily the same H or O in each transfer.

H3O^+ + H2O + H2O + H2O ->

H2O + H3O^+ + H2O + H2O ->

H2O + H2O + H3O^+ + H2O -> -> ->

H2O + H2O + H2O + OH^- ->

H2O + H2O + OH^- + H2O ->

H2O + OH^- + H2O + H2O -> -> ->

In effect you have H^(+)'s being passed along in one direction, and OH^(-)'s being passed along in the other direction.

(Edit: italicized the initial H and O)

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bigfatfurrytexan t1_jdvti7h wrote

Reply to Does drinking too much water put strain on the kidneys? by tb200

I have worked in mental hospitals, and have had issues with people becoming "water intoxicated" due to their psychosis. So despite what people tell you , you absolutely can drink too much water. Is it likely for a person not insane? No. But yeah....it can happen.

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It doesn't hurt your kidneys, but can give you heart attack and other similar. You can make it worse by drinking distilled water, as it will leach more minerals from your body.

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FancyJ89 t1_jdvt7wh wrote

Reply to comment by Smithy2232 in Does drinking too much water put strain on the kidneys? by tb200

That's a strange way to view risk assessment considering covid and driving aren't mutually exclusive. Covid became an ADDITIONAL risk on top of any other risks occurring in your life. Should I drive? Or walk? Or fly to my destination? Those risks are related and increasing one reduces the other.

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