ChemIONS

Water is a strange substance - and be careful of mixing chemistry metaphors! Water is not covalent - it is polar covalent. That is, O and H do share electrons; however, that sharing is not equal. O is a lot more electronegative so it "possesses" the e- more than H. This makes O be partially negative and H partially positive. Since both of the H's are on the "same side" of a water molecule - this makes the entire O side of water partially positive and the entire H side partially positive. Water does "auto-ionize" in solution to form ions: H2O H+ + OH- (simple) [notice that this reaction is reverible!] 2H2O H3O+ + OH- (better) [notice that this reaction is reverible!] The amount of ions present, 1 x 10^-7 for both product ions, is not sufficient to carry a minimal electrical load. If you increase the amperage - that concentration of ions will carry the load! Electrolysis is using electrical energy to break chemical bonds. Water decomposes to form hydrogen gas (H2) and oxygen gas (O2). 2H2O --> 2H2 + O2 [notice that this reaction is not reverible!]