Horace Heffner
Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:33:48 -0700
The dissolved Na and Cl ions are each surrounded by a hydration layer, a layer of water molecules polarized radially by the central ions. The alternating RF field causes vibration of the nuclei within the ions, but more importantly, mutually 180 degrees out of phase vibration of the ions within their hydration layers. These oscillating mechanisms permit kinetic energy storage, energy which can ionize the hydration layers upon the occasional close approach of the Na and Cl ions, and even permit momentary and partial penetration and/or ionization of the hydration layers by the ions. This catalyses the reaction:
2 H2O -> H2 + HOOHThe concentration of NaCl has to be sufficient that enough ions are adjacent to each other to support this kind of catalytic action.
Horace Heffner http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/