Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1904 — Making Water Gas. [ARTICLE]

Making Water Gas.

It has been long known that when steam is passed over red hot carbon, in the form of charcoal or coke (preferably the latter for practical purposes, as it is much cheaper), decomposition takes place and a combustible gns of high heating power Is produced; but knowing the fact and making it of practical utility are two very different thing*, and often very far apart. The chemical change which takers place is very simple. Water -is a compound of tho two gases hydrogen and oxygear, the former of which when free Is highly combustible. When the water, in the form of steam. Is passed over hot carbon the carbon nets as a reducing agent, exactly as it does when it is used for the redmetlofi of metallic* oxides,- takes up tl>e oxygen to form carlmn monoxide, and lilierntes the element with which the oxygen was previously combined. In this case hydrogen, nm| l*>th the hydrogen liberated and the monoxide formed are combustible gases.