What quality of water is best for electrolyzing into Hydrogen and Oxygen? Tap water? Distilled? De-ionized?

[Sunteut]

Just wondering what would be the major downfall to using tap water, rain water, or for that matter, swamp water? I'm thinking about getting into a deeper study of hydrogen to be used in a fuel cell or perhaps some other form of potential energy. Also I'd appreciate being pointed to a website or newsgroup dealing with alternate energy production. Searches work but there's such a thing as working too well. I'm having a devil of a time looking for the few needles in that haystack.So far I've got a broad spectrum of answers from virginal purity to stagnant! I do remember from my chemistry that an electrolyte needed to be added and therefore it would seem to me that de-ionized water would be counter-productive... Not stirring anything up; just continuing discussion. Hydrogen isn't a GREAT source of energy but if I had an electric vehicle charging the batteries with solar would take too long while using the solar cells but hydrogen generation could store the solar cell's excess energy when it wasn't doing anything else. Then use the hydrogen to generate electricity via fuel cells. just thinking about refining efficiency.Actually, let me rephrase that and forget about getting oxygen. I remember now that the electrolytes are either released as gas or form hydroxyls, among other things. I suppose using NaCl as the electrolyte would eventually use all the free hydrogen and wind up molecular Clorine and NaOH. Been a few years since chemistry and the old bean has trouble finding the path again.

[supabiscuit]

As pure as you can get it.That means softened, then deionized, then filtered through a 0.45micrometer filter and tested with an ohm meter to have a resistance greater than 18MegaOhms, atleast....

[supasaing]

Doesn't matter; an electrolyte will need to be added in any event. But hydrogen has little potential for vehicle power: it is too difficult to store, and too expensive since it has to be made from something else -- which either contains or uses a lot of energy.

[sunshinedtm4747]

Tap water or the swamp water would probably be the best due to the presence of ions. Water doesn't actually conduct electricity very well. In actuality, it is the ions in the water that carry the current. Thus, distilled and de-ionized, which I think are the same thing anyway, or nearly the same, would really not work. If you add a salt, such as NaCl, it might work better, but not as much oxygen would be produced. Experiment with different salts to find the best.... just a suggestion. I hoped this helped.

[supadupafresh]

Distilled water is best for electrolyzing into Hydrogen and Oxygen.