Atomic theory formula for the water molecule (HO), or 16 if one assumes the modern water formula (HO). The flaw in Dalton's theory was corrected in principle in 1811 by Amedeo Avogadro. Avogadro had proposed that equal volumes of any two gases, at equal temperature and pressure, contain equal numbers of molecules (in other words, the mass of a gas's particles does not affect the volume that it occupies). Avogadro's law allowed him to deduce the diatomic nature of numerous gases by studying the volumes at which they reacted. For instance: since two liters of hydrogen will react with just one liter
Electrolysis of water reactions predominate in basic (high pH) solutions. Combining either half reaction pair yields the same overall decomposition of water into oxygen and hydrogen: The number of hydrogen molecules produced is thus twice the number of oxygen molecules. Assuming equal temperature and pressure for both gases, the produced hydrogen gas has therefore twice the volume of the produced oxygen gas. The number of electrons pushed through the water is twice the number of generated hydrogen molecules and four times the number of generated oxygen molecules. Decomposition of pure water into hydrogen and oxygen at standard temperature and pressure is not favorable