Talk:Cold fusion

This article was the subject of mediation during 2009 at User_talk:Cryptic C62/Cold fusion.

Misinterpretation of data?

The "requirements" include D2O and LiOD hence seems to be a Lithium Deuterium reaction. Some of US (tested) thermonuclear weapons Lithium in place of Tritium; Li7 + energy > He4 + T then T + D > He4 + neutron OR Li6 + D > 2 He4 hence no Tritium or He3 produced? 'Distance between Deuterium atoms in interstitial sites in metal chrystal' except if saturated and >1 Deuterium nucleus per interstitial site. What is the closest approach of deuterium nuclei within the metallic orbitals? Under pressure, Palladium itself degrades if H > 1.7 and erodes to PdH2 (not issue with 5% Silver alloy). Electroplating literature is rife with studies of Hydrogen embrittlement (Hydrogen in metal lattice) and the alkaline LiOH of the reaction (pH ~12) promotes alkali metal cations, Li, entering metal also. At high current and low H+ (D+) concentration there would be Lithium in the Electrode. Shjacks45 (talk) 02:06, 17 February 2020 (UTC)

This isn't the place to suggest new hypotheses about Cold Fusion- this page is intended to discuss changes to the encyclopedia article. Inclusion into the encyclopedia article would require publication in some sort of reliable source. I'm not making any judgments about how plausible your hypotheses are when I say that they're off-topic for this page. If and when these ideas appear in scientific literature in a notable way then they could be discussed here and added to the article. --Noren (talk) 03:03, 17 February 2020 (UTC)

boron-hydrogen fusion

https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/pioneering-technology-promises-unlimited-clean-and-safe-energy should apparently be added to this article.

And why doesn't this article even mention boron or even have a link to aneutronic fusion, and why doesn't that article even mention LENR? --Espoo (talk) 15:06, 25 February 2020 (UTC)

Espoo, maybe because LENR is a marketing term used by cold fusionists looking to avoid the ridicule they have historically attracted for engaging in pathological science? Guy (help!) 18:15, 25 February 2020 (UTC)

Report of the explosion, again

This paragraph was removed some time in the past:

Pons and Fleishmann also reported in their 1989 Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry publication that "We have to report here that under the conditions of the last experiment even using D2O alone, a substantial portion of the cathode fused (melting point 1554 °C) part of it vapourised and the cell and contents and a part of the fume cupboard housing the experiment were destroyed."

The explosion, if it did happen, may have been just a sudden release of H2 from the palladium and its ignition by catalytic action of the metal. The H2 flame would have been hot enough to melt the cathode, and H2 in the air could easily explain the explosion. At least two other explosions of this nature were reported by researchers who tried to reproduce their experiment.
While there is no corroborating evidence that the explosion reported by F&P actually happened, this report, widely circulated at the time, played an important role in fortering interest of the public and of other scientists. And, if true, it would help explain why F&P felt so confident that they had indeed achieved nuclear fusion. Thus this incident (actual or alleged) should be mentioned in the article,
--Jorge Stolfi (talk) 15:25, 13 May 2020 (UTC)

Jorge Stolfi, I think it is true - my best friend was working in Fleischman's lab at the time and noted that the apparatus ejected the "thermonuclear shield" (a china pudding basin upended over the thing to catch splashes) with some force. But I don't think it was *that* big a deal. A good pub story, not much more. Guy (help!) 21:30, 13 May 2020 (UTC)

Yeah, the standard (anti-CF) story is a D₂+O₂ explosion. There's a Nathan Lewis quote with a bit more detail here:

Physicists asked Dr. Lewis if he could account for the burst of heat that Dr. Pons reported as having destroyed one of the Utah cells.

"My understanding," Dr. Lewis said, "is that Pons's son was there at the time, not Pons himself. I understand that someone turned the current off for a while. When that happens hydrogen naturally bubbles out of the palladium cathode, and creates a hazard of fire or explosion. It is a simple chemical reaction that has nothing to do with fusion."

I went slightly more into depth if you search for the heading "What about melting and explosions?" at my blog post here. --Steve (talk) 20:13, 17 May 2020 (UTC)