1) "The self-ionization of water (also autoionization of water, and autodissociation of water) is the chemical reaction in which two water molecules react to produce a hydronium (H3O+) and a hydroxide ion (OH−): 2 H2O <=> H3O+ + OH- It is an example of autoprotolysis, and relies on the amphoteric nature of water. Water, however pure, is not a simple collection of H2O molecules. Even in "pure" water, sensitive equipment can detect a very slight electrical conductivity of 0.055 µS·cm-1." "At SATP [Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure], the concentrations of hydroxide and hydronium are both very low at 1.0 × 10−7 mol/L and the ions are rarely produced: a randomly selected water molecule will dissociate within approximately 10 hours" Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-ionization_of_water 2) "Water dissociates into oxygen and hydrogen at high temperatures, and the dissociation increases with increasing temperature: H2O(g) <=> H2 +½ O2 (1) Because of the small equilibrium constant of this reaction, the concentrations of generated hydrogen and oxygen are very low even at relatively high temperatures, i.e., 0.1 and 0.042% for hydrogen and oxygen, respectively at 1600° C. However, significant amounts of hydrogen or oxygen could be generated at moderate temperatures if the equilibrium were shifted toward dissociation." Source and further information: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7087211.html