Easy Science Project Using Pencils

Show how you can do electrolysis which is separating the hydrogen from the oxygen in water.

When you put some chemicals together in a reactive way they create electricity. You have seen this before because it is used every time you use a battery. This type of chemical electricity can be used to make things work like flashlights, toy cars, DVD players and more.

Water has oxygen and hydrogen within it. A molecule of water contains an atom of oxygen and 2 atoms of hydrogen. If electricity runs through water between electrodes of a battery you can split the parts of water into two. They are oxygen and hydrogen. When you have done this you did electrolysis.

Create a science project which separates the part of water.

You will need these items:

A nine volt battery

2 pencils

Salt

A glass tall cup

A piece of thin cardboard

Electric wire

Take your two pencils and sharpen both ends of each. You will have to remove the eraser and metal end before sharpening.

Punch two holes into the cardboard with the pencils and push them almost half way through the cardboard.

Put warm water into the glass far enough so that the pencil bottoms will be able to be submerged by at least an inch or two. Stir about a teaspoon of salt into the warm water until dissolved.

Using the electric wire attach one piece to the top graphite/lead of one of the pencils and to the positive part of the battery. Now cut another piece of electric wire and attached to the lead of the other pencil and the negative part of the battery.

Set the cardboard on top of the glass with the pencils hanging in the glass at one end and the other end of the pencils extend above the cardboard.

Now sit back and watch the electricity from the battery run through the pencils. You should notice small bubbles at the tip of each pencil submerged in the water. The bubbles you see are hydrogen and chlorine gases

Why would you see chlorine? A secondary reaction occurred. Oxygen does not release in this experiment. The reason for this is that oxygen combines with the salt in the water. Because salt has a chemical makeup of sodium chloride, the chlorine gas from the chlorine in the salt is given off. The bubbles you see are hydrogen and chlorine.

Enjoy the science project with your friends.