Did the Lavoisier and Cavendish experiments prove we can create water from hydrogen and oxygen?
A viewer asks whether the Lavoisier and Cavendish hydrogen experiments proved that we can create water from hydrogen and oxygen.
Answer
That we can get hydrogen and oxygen separately is certain. Whether we can fuse them into water is another question, and it would take a great deal of energy. Hydrogen and oxygen do not combine naturally; put them together and you have one of the most volatile substances known, because a single electrical current passing through will make them burn instantly and you will see water. That is exactly what happened with the Hindenburg: it was full of hydrogen, and when it exploded it pulled oxygen out of the air, and people felt water coming down. So in that sense, yes, it is possible, but only with a lot of energy behind it.