Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyLugNut
. . . spontaneously recombine. Both hydrogen and oxygen form stable diatomic molecules - though some of the oxygen forms up as O3 or ozone. This occurs at the anode and cathode and is instantaneous for all practical purposes and does so to provide the system with the lowest energy state.
The highly reactive radical forms do spontaneously recombine. This is what happens when the mixture has added energy in the form of a spark or flame front.
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What I mean is, H2 and O2 (as I understand it)
will react with each other at any non-absolute zero temperature. The rate with which they react varies (hugely) with temperature. What is the half-life of hydrogen gas in the conditions you're likely to find under an automobile's hood? Is the reaction rate small enough that a vast majority of the hydrogen will still be present by the time it's sucked into the cylinder? Does it survive the entire compression stroke so it can actually be used for mechanical work?