What is the relationship of the volumes of hydrogen and oxygen collected during water electrolysis?

During the process of electrolysis of water, water (H₂O) is broken down into its components, hydrogen and oxygen gases. The balanced chemical equation for this reaction is:

2 H₂O → 2 H₂ + O₂

From this equation, it can be seen that for every 2 moles of water that are electrolyzed, 2 moles of hydrogen gas (H₂) and 1 mole of oxygen gas (O₂) are produced.

Since gases at the same temperature and pressure occupy volumes that are proportional to the number of moles, the volume of hydrogen collected will be twice that of the oxygen collected. This means that if you have a certain volume of oxygen produced, the volume of hydrogen will be double that amount. Therefore, the relationship between the volumes of hydrogen and oxygen collected during water electrolysis is that the volume of hydrogen is twice that of oxygen.

This is a fundamental principle of stoichiometry in chemistry and helps to illustrate the conservation of mass and the ratios of reactants and products in chemical reactions.