Photon Question

[Qfwfq]

The reaction is certainly exothermic though I'm not sure of details, photons might likely be emitted indirectly by deionization.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but that should mean that some mass was converted to a photon. Now we can use electrolosis to break the hydrogen and oxygen back apart. Does this mean that some energy has been converted into mass?

There certainly is conversion between rest energy and thermal/luminous energy. In detail, however, the rest energy (or mass) of the atoms and molecules is determined in part by the energy levels of the orbitals, which in turn is the sum of kinetic and potential energy of the electrons. This is the only part of the rest energy that changes.

 

Of course, compared to nuclear reactions, chemical ones involve very tiny variations of mass in proportion to that of the reagents.

[cwes99_03]

Heat is released in the form of radiation. However the transference of mass to energy is put into phononic energy (vibration in the degrees of freedom of the molecule, or in making the molecule move faster). Therefore the reaction itself does not produce radiation (light) put creates a system that has to pass on it's energy to other systems that have less energy.

 

Again if this is what you are discussing this needs to be moved to the chemistry forum.

[Qfwfq]

I don't see it as necessarily chemistry.

 

I suppose you mean for the specific case of hydrogen combustion, that all light comes from incandescence, I know that for many flames there is some direct emission of photons, which can give the flame colours rather than a blackbody spectrum.

[arkain101]

sounds like;

 

List the ways a photon is produced.. no?