I am not as knowledgeable as Dr. Rolfe, but a competing theory is that the water came from Comets.  Now where the water in comets came from - from the big bang (when all elements were essentially created, along with some compounds.).

Water is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen, so there's lots of hydrogen in the universe and some oxygen. Because we got a good mix of elements on the Earth, and the temperature and pressure is right, a lot of that water is liquid, and some gas, and some solid.
Gravity keeps it around, just like it keep everything else around on Earth.

You can also create water by mixing oxygen and hydrogen at the right pressure and temperature, with electricity, alot of this kind of science is being explored to reverse the process, making electricity from the hydrogen and oxygen in hydrogen fuel cell powered automobiles.

When you combine hydrogen and oxygen under pressure you can make electricty via the reverse electrolosis process and the end result is both electricty and water.

If nuclear fusion is ever perfected, hopefully sooner, rather then later, and the fusing of the light atomic molecules that make up water, as ooposed to splitting of very dense radio active molecules, nuclear fission, a lot of energy, more energy, is released during fusion, then fission. So in a cup of water an entire city could be electrically powered for a long time, and the entire needs of the planet could be powered for a very long time.

I am not as knowledgeable as Dr. Rolfe, but a competing theory is that the water came from Comets. Now where the water in comets came from - from the big bang (when all elements were essentially created, along with some compounds.).

Good going Doc! This was one of the answers my class had for Rolfe, whom by the way I respect as a scholar, but is hardly the "all knowing" as he often warned us. Science is as infallable as the humans that write it

For my lack of good understanding of cosic things, I did a Google search to reaquaint myself with this arguement. I hope you find it as enlightening as I have

Link

Water is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen, so there's lots of hydrogen in the universe and some oxygen. Because we got a good mix of elements on the Earth, and the temperature and pressure is right, a lot of that water is liquid, and some gas, and some solid.

Nice response DG, but the question remains, what emplaced these componants (H and O2) on the earth, and what forced were present to combine them into the compound we know as water?

Now I know I am not as knowledgeable as your Prof!  I did understand the "of" and "earth" terms however.

Now I know I am not as knowledgeable as your Prof!

Everybody specializes in their own field Doc, I know your pleanty smart about things you feel are important.

You would really love Rolfe though. He is one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, as were many of my profs at SSU.

Ironically, I studied under Dr. Matthew James, a Paleontologist out of UC Berlely. Believe it or not, this guy is one of the, if not the leading publisher on the Galapagos Islands. This man, another awesome dude taught creationism along side with evolution. Matt taught me that many scientists do believe in God, without actually saying so.

Now you see how I feel talking about politics though...I know some stuff, but really I just seem to flounder about when things get tight.

You did a great job here Doc, and thanks so much for your input

Bleh...I'm getting kind of sick of chemistry. You can get water by burning hydrocarbons...in other words alcohols, ketones, aldehydes...yadda yadda yadda.

CH4(methane) + O2(oxygen gas) -----with a bit of heat---> CO2 + H2O...so, that's a different way...then you have your hydrogen and oxygen coming together...and your decomposition reactions...and your neutralization reactions to produce a salt and water...bunch of ways to make it.

~Zoo

and what forced were present to combine them into the compound we know as water?

Oh, you posed this question?...Well, it's a simple matter of valence electrons and the desire to form an octet. One oxygen atom has 6 valence electrons and hydrogen has one. They come together to form a covalent bond so you have 2H that have 2 electrons total and one oxygen with 6 electrons. Stick'em together and you have your octet configuration which is what all atoms and compounds strive for...because it's stable. Nature "likes" the lowest energy and highest stability.

Wow...I am such a freakin' nerd...

~Zoo

Heya Zoo, I minored in Chem and I know it's a bit tedious, so I can see how it can make some students weary.

Its a very interesting concept you have running here:

Stick'em together and you have your octet configuration which is what all atoms and compounds strive for...because it's stable.

Can you show me a reaction that can make this happen, because I've never seen one.

Nerdy is is sssoooo cool sometimes.

I really thank you guys for participating in this one. Because as a painter, I never really have very many conversations along these lines, and for me...well its refreshing

Can you show me a reaction that can make this happen, because I've never seen one.

Never?...This occurs in forming most compounds. That's why things fit the way they do...you remember Lewis structures or electron dot diagrams? Those illustrate it.

Take methane for example: CH4 One carbon, 4 hydrogens. Carbon (which is so special it gets its own division of chemistry, Organic) So, anywho...you have your C atom with 4 electrons...therefore, it needs 4 more to complete its octet configuration. So, say it comes into contact with some H atoms, each having one valence electron...4 of them are like, dude, let's hook up with C and so they do. I think there's a bit more to it, but I don't care for looking it up right now...might be some pressure or temperature variables, but that's the basic idea. H only has 2 orbitals...so when those are filled it counts as its octet configuration. The octet basically happens when forming compounds...H2O, CH4, CO2...etc, etc. All your noble gases have filled outer shells...and half of them are inert, which means they're not able to form compounds...like helium, argon, and neon.

Anyway, with the CH4 example...I'll try and "draw" a diagram...hope it turns out alright. (disregard the periods...they're just place holders, damn thing justified my structure and it looked weird...so I had to put those in. Point is, all the H's are connected to the C, not eachother)
.....H
.....|
H-C-H
.....|
.....H

The reaction would be: C + 2H2 ----> CH4 I think, anyway...works out, anyway.
Alright...each line represents a shared pair of electrons...so Carbon has 4 on it already and shares them with all the H's. The H's have one each and share them with C which completes the octet(remember H only needs 2 electrons).

I really hope that helps...

~Zoo

"Nice response DG, but the question remains, what emplaced these componants (H and O2) on the earth, and what forced were present to combine them into the compound we know as water?"

It all depends on your perspective and what you tend to believe in more.

If it's the science view, it's luck of the draw in the universe, that gave us a large concentration of hydrogen and oxygen, which was able to create water eventually. Us as opposed to Mars for example, if Mars had oceans they would be frozen solid but still there, but there is very little water there, another reason that a lot of the water on Earth is still here is that there is an atmosphere that keeps the temperature of the Earth relatively stable and prevents the water from evaporating and exciting the atoms enough to leave the planet. If you need to know the exact choronological order in which things happen in the history of the galaxy well science is still working on that. Your guess is as good as mine.

If it's the religious viewpoint you're after, the bible tells about how God created the Earth in a few days, I imagine that he put water here for us to drink and for fish to swim in and for Jesus to walk on and turn into wine.

One thing is certain about water. All life on the planet needs to have water in order to survive. Water in liquid form, is necessary for our bodies and the bodies of both plant and animal life as well as bacteria to mobilize nutrients for the cells. Without liquid water carbon based cellular life forms don't develop. At least that's what I remember from Chemistry-Biology-Physical Science.

If you're curious about how and why hydrogen and oxygen form water, it's because atoms at their basic elemental level like to join up and form bonds with other atoms into molecules, if there is another type of atom available for example if two hydrogen atoms are floating around and two oxygen atoms are floating around they'll split and from onto each other as H2O. Elements on the periodic table on the left side like to react with the elements on the right side of the table and vice versa. Oxygen is very reactive and hydrogen is the most reactive element in existence. If you are really interested in how this stuff works take a basic chemistry class at a tech school near ya, won't cost nearly as much as you'll gain from learning about how chemistry works.

The reaction would be: C + 2H2 ----> CH4 I think, anyway...works out, anyway.

Please do not think I'm insulting you here Zoo, but I cant help but feeling insulted.

Are you meaning to tell me, from this incomplete reation, that all the water of the earth, let alone even a portion of that water results from a reation that does not contain the product H2O?

If you're curious about how and why hydrogen and oxygen form water, it's because atoms at their basic elemental level like to join up and form bonds with other atoms into molecules, if there is another type of atom available for example if two hydrogen atoms are floating around and two oxygen atoms are floating around they'll split and from onto each other as H2O.

Are you meaning to tell me, that somehow free oxegen and hydogen were just somehow floating on the surface of a planet that at the time contained NO atmosphere, and created water?

Are you somehow implying that I do not know how water is formed to the extent that we know?

Elements on the periodic table on the left side like to react with the elements on the right side of the table and vice versa. Oxygen is very reactive and hydrogen is the most reactive element in existence. If you are really interested in how this stuff works take a basic chemistry class at a tech school near ya, won't cost nearly as much as you'll gain from learning about how chemistry works.

Thank you for your insults.

You have not offered anything near anything comnclusive. Even the Doc, as a lamen outclassed you here. Yet you have the audacity to say the things you do, with not so much as a shred of understanding.

Go back to your Google searches.

Without an apology, you are unwelcome on this thread.

If it's the religious viewpoint you're after, the bible tells about how God created the Earth in a few days, I imagine that he put water here for us to drink and for fish to swim in and for Jesus to walk on and turn into wine.

You show your ignorance to its utmost in this statement. You have quite the gall.

Zoo, please do not be intimidated by any part of what you have seen. I am truly interested in your hypothesis, and very willing to consider anything you put forth.

Whay you postulate is not completely unheard of.

I remember a while back reading of a plan to produce an atmosphere, not unlike that of the earth, on mars, not so unlike what you have mentioned.

The difference as I see it, is that we are talkling about water appearing on a primordial earth vs. creating an atmosphere on an existing planet. I am exploring with you

Are you meaning to tell me, from this incomplete reation, that all the water of the earth, let alone even a portion of that water results from a reation that does not contain the product H2O?

Oh, no...sorry, I was using that reaction for the octet configuration example. I was just explaining that whole principle.

~Zoo