In a message dated 8/2/2001 7:30:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
> Subj:CS>Why does this water conduct electricity > Date:8/2/2001 7:30:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time > From: [email protected] (Damian) > Reply-to: <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]";>[email protected]</A> > To: [email protected] > > > > > Just a small question. I really want to understand what is happening when i > make silver colloid and would like to make chemistry and alchemy a hobby > once i've finished my degree. From what i understand bonding between non > metals is covalent excluding organic chemistry which is tetravalent i > think. Now as we all know water is 2 part hydrogen and one part oxygen and > i think covalenty bonded. From the notes i found on the net it says that if > something is covalent then it has the following conductive properties. > > No mobile charged particles > Molecules not charged > Electrons tightly bound or shared by atoms in covalent bonds > > Now all the above makes perfect sense, and i understand it. However yet > when i buy my demineralised water, and deionized water I'm still able to > pass a current throught the water via the immersed electrodes. The only way > i can figure it is that there is still metal in the h2o bound ionically. In > my notes it says that solid ionic compounds do not conduct electricity > because there are no electrons available. It does not mention the > properties of non solid but i guess it would be the reverse thus the water > conducts. Is this correct? > > Can anyone explain to me why mineral water goes cloudy. I would guess that > metalic bonding is going on between > > Calcium > Magnesium > Sodium > Potasium > > because they all have a low electronegativity that is 1, 2 -3 electrons in > the valence shell, thus causeing aglomeration. Im probably wrong here, can > someone help. I've only been studying this for a couple of days, so its > still all a bit fuzzy? This will also i hope explain what is happening in > my alkaline/acid water convertor. I really appreciate your time > Thanks in advance > Damian > > > Damian: When it comes to common liquids, conventional wisdom requires us to think of electricity being conducted by ions not electrons. In the case of demineralized water exhibiting some finite level of conductance, consider that a tiny fraction of water molecules does, in fact, ionize (ionization constant of water equals 10 ^-14 ). In addition, run of the mill demineralized water is not completely pure. For example, some residual contamination may occur from metallic fittings in the condenser hardware, and some CO2 from the air could dissolve during processing. All of these impurities will add significantly to conductivity. Roger
