Abnormally high heat generation by transition metals interacting with hydrogen and oxygen molecules

Abnormally high heats, exceeding 2000 kJ/mol (20 eV) per molecule of O₂, are generated by interaction of the oxygen with the hydrogen absorbed on palladium, gold and nickel particles at 25 °C to 220 °C. The highest heats were observed when the metals were treated with micromole quantities of argon, prior to absorption of hydrogen, as well as its interactions with metal particles reaching nanometer size. In the latter case the heat evolutions due to the interactions with hydrogen were approaching 5000 kJ/mol. The interactions with oxygen in inert gas environments, such as that of argon, yielded higher heat evolutions than those given by pure O₂ pulses injected into nitrogen carrier gas. The results revealed an important role of argon in increasing the intensity of atomic hydrogen-oxygen reactions to a level several times higher than the heat of water formation from molecular hydrogen and oxygen.