New
Scientist: At the American Chemical Society's national
meeting this week,
Fernando
Galembeck from the University of Campinas in São
Paulo, Brazil, presented his controversial research on the
ability of hot, saturated air to hold a net electric charge.
First reported in 1840 by factory workers, the phenomenon of
steam electricity may be due to charge build-up between
chrome-plated brass tubes and water in the atmosphere. As
described by
New Scientist's Colin Barras, hydrogen ions in the
water react with the chrome oxide, leading to an ion imbalance
that imparts excess charge onto the metal. Galembeck's theory
that water can store charge could in principle lead to a
renewable source of energy, but it violates the long-held
principle of electroneutrality. Most researchers remain
skeptical.
