On May 9, 2013, at 12:20 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
Edmund Storms <[email protected]> wrote:
* Heat appears with D but not H.
This is not true. Heat has been measured when H is used.
Only a few people have detected heat with Pd-H. Fleischmann found
marginal heat, and you reported some. Let me put this way: heat
comes a lot more readily with deuterium. Since the choice of D or H
cannot affect the calorimetry, that indicates something real is
happening.
True, but only a few people have made the effort. Most people consider
H2O to be dead, so why bother. In addition, H2O is not used to
calibrate a cell using D2O. This is done using a Pt cathode or an
electric heater.
* Heat only appears with high loading.
This is only true during electrolysis.
True, but again it is a control factor which cannot possibly
influence the calorimetry, so it cannot be causing an instrument
artifact.
True. My point is that the effect of composition is variable, as it
should be based on any basic understanding. Nevertheless, as you say,
the effect is real and in the right direction to be consistent with
basic understanding of reactions of any kind.
A calorimeter is not affected by the source of energy.
Well, it is at least plausible that a calorimeter in which the
temperature is measured in the electrolyte might be affected by the
choice of heavy water or light water. I do not think there is any
measurable difference, but there could be one. A gas calorimeter
with the sample and temperature sensor surrounded by D or H gas will
probably have a slightly different calibration curve for the two
gases.
In a calorimeter where you measure outside the cell, the cell
components cannot affect performance. Except to a tiny extent, where
the heat originates in different parts of the cell, especially the
top or bottom, as shown by the Italians.
Here the discussion is between a good calorimeter and a bad
calorimeter. A bad calorimeter has all kinds of potential errors. A
good calorimeter measured only heat, nothing else. Yes, some bad
calorimeters were used. Nevertheless, most data was taken using good
calorimeters, which continues to be the case. Making a good
calorimeter requires skill, which had to be learned. Apparently, many
skeptics have still not learned how to tell the difference.
Ed Storms.
- Jed
