Re: [Vo]:Cold Fusion, Wet or Dry?

[Stephen A. Lawrence]

Michael Foster wrote:
Since I haven't read all the papers on LENR-CANR, I'm not sure if this subject 
has already been covered. The recent Arata demonstration confirms what I've 
thought for some time concerning the CF phenomenon. That is, the electrolytic 
version of CF has been difficult to reproduce because electrolysis is not the 
actual mechanism at work in producing fusion and heat. Maybe it is merely 
another but more difficult way of creating the same conditions that Arata 
presents.

The well-known period of cathode loading in the CF electrolysis cells has been shown to 
require the formation of micro-fissures in the palladium before excess heat is produced. 
This makes a lot of sense because those who are familiar with the history of catalysis 
know that platinum and palladium are considered to be "poisoned" catalysts if 
they have been in contact with water. In other words, no hydrogen adsorption would take 
place if the catalyst had been poisoned with water, among other substances.

So how could the deuterium adsorption take place in a palladium cathode under water? Short answer: It couldn't. 
  

Um ... Perhaps I've misunderstood this but I didn't think *adsorption* 
was all that relevant to CF.

In CF the hydrogen/deuterium actually enters the Pd lattice.  In 
adsorption, OTOH, it sticks to the surface.  Quoting from Wikipedia,

*
*Adsorption* is a process that occurs when a gas or liquid solute 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solute> accumulates on the surface of a 
solid or a liquid (adsorbent), forming a film of molecules or atoms 
(the adsorbate <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adsorbate>). 
*

In catalysis, adsorption is very important, because the reactions 
actually take place on the surface of the catalyst.  But in CF they take 
place within the mass of the Pd and whether anything is sticking to the 
surface or not would seem somewhat irrelevant.

The nuclei which fuse in CF are actually inside the lattice, as I 
understand it.  The H and O which react when Pt (or Pd) catalyzes a 
reaction, OTOH, are stuck to the surface.  Water on the surface poisons 
the latter but it's not clear it would have any effect on the former.  
Boosting surface area of the catalyst by using fine particles makes an 
enormous difference to catalysis, because there's that much more surface 
area present;  OTOH, though it speeds loading of D into the Pd, it's not 
a ticket to instant success in CF because it's not the surface area, per 
se, which matters.