Distilled water is a liquid indispensable in medicine and some everyday situations. Scientists and he alth advocates are constantly discussing the validity of using purified water (especially as a drink) and how to make distilled water at home. Let's try to shed some light on this situation.
Definition
Distilled water - in fact, ordinary water, which was purified from impurities by distillation (evaporation). We can say that this is "steam" water, or "frozen", because the distillation process can take place in diametrically opposite directions. First, under laboratory conditions, steam (distillate) is collected from ordinary settled water, which is condensed into a separate clean container. So get a liquid without any impurities - distilled water. Secondly, settled water is frozen in clean containers,but not to the end. Using the difference in freezing time of a pure liquid and impurities, ice is obtained (about 70% of the total volume of water), which is extracted and thawed in a sterile container.
Distilled water in medicine
It is mainly used in medicine. Deprived of any impurities (beneficial and harmful), it is an excellent solvent and the basis for the creation of various medical and cosmetic preparations.
Fearing poisoning and infection, many people drink only distilled water. Of course, it is not harmful to drink, but it is not useful either, because the natural composition of water - s alts, minerals and other substances dissolved in it - is priceless for the human body. To protect yourself from the dangers of tap water, it is enough to use filters. Or, if you do not trust them, you should drink bottled water, which is sold in pharmacies and stores. But constantly using only distilled water is overkill.
Distilled water at home
In everyday life, purified water is good for filling aquariums, if you first dissolve in it a "filler" selected in composition, which is sold in pet stores and is selected individually for your fish. It is also often used in various household appliances (humidifiers, irons, steamers) to extend their service life.
Under the condition of periodic fertilization, it is good to water the flowers with such a liquid. The use of purified water is quite extensive, so much so that the question often arises - howmake distilled water at home? This is especially true for residents of rural areas, where pharmacies rarely or do not have such a product at all. Therefore, we will consider in detail the methods by which distilled water is obtained (you can easily do this with your own hands).
How to get distilled water
In the laboratory, two flasks are used for this, connected by a tube that is cooled. The first flask (it stands higher) with water is heated and the boiling process is maintained, the vapor condenses in a cold tube, the resulting drops of pure water flow into the second flask. Or, in the molds, the water is partially frozen - this method is less laborious, but it consumes a lot of water, and we have to be very careful with it. But these are all laboratories, flasks, tubes, scientists, but we need know how to make distilled water at home…
Why defend water
How to get distilled water from tap water? First, defend. It's no secret that in the water that gets into our house through pipes (not very clean, I must say) there are a lot of harmful impurities. This is, firstly, chlorine - of course, a very powerful disinfectant, but it can accumulate in the human body and cause a lot of serious diseases and poisoning. The same applies to volatile impurities and heavy metal compounds, also present in tap water.
The better and purer the source material, the more ideal the result will be. Therefore, water shouldpour into a clean open container and do not touch, it is better not to even budge for twenty-four hours. In the first hours, the process of evaporation of volatile impurities, including chlorine, will take place. Further s alts of heavy metals will settle. In a day, it is necessary to very carefully drain no more than three-quarters of the water - we will distill it.
Getting distilled water at home. Method one
You will need:
- 20 liter stainless steel pot;
- lid for this pot (preferably cone shape);
- glass bowl (bowl);
- round grill for oven or microwave;
- water.
Do not focus on the fact that all dishes must be perfectly clean, because we are simulating laboratory conditions. Let's get started.
- Pour tap water into a saucepan, about half the volume. Let the water stand for at least six hours, or better - a day.
- Place a wire rack at the bottom of the pot and a glass bowl on it. The bowl should be high enough so that no water directly from the pot can get into it.
- Turn on the fire and bring the water to a boil, then reduce the temperature as much as possible to such an extent that the boiling process goes smoothly and not very intensively.
- Turn the lid over, fill it with ice and cover the pot.
- Steam will rise to the top, condense on the cold lid, and already distilled water will flow into the bowl.
- You only have to controlprocess: maintain a boil, remove water from the lid, add ice if necessary.
- When the bowl is full, turn off the heat and carefully remove it from the pan, you can wait until it cools down.
- Pour the water into a sterilized storage container.
Now you know how to make your own distilled water. But this is not the only possibility.
Second method
It's even closer to laboratory.
You will need:
- 20 liter stainless steel pot,
- straight neck bottle,
- a twisted neck bottle,
- water.
As a matter of fact, the bottles are our flasks. Of course, it is quite difficult to find or make a glass bottle with a twisted neck, but if you succeed, the process will go much faster. You can also use a durable hose, the diameter of which is suitable for bottle necks. We clean everything and proceed.
- Pour the settled tap water into the first bottle, a little more than half.
- Connect the bottles directly neck to neck or with a short hose. The connection should be as tight as possible.
- Fill the pot with water, its volume should cover the bottle by more than half. Put the pot on the fire, bring to a boil and keep this process going.
- Dip the first bottle into boiling water, place it in the pan at an angle of about thirty degrees.
- On the top (empty) bottleplace an ice pack to ensure the condensation process.
- Water will evaporate from the lower bottle (flask), rise through the hose (neck) to the second one and accumulate there, condensing.
- Continue when you have the amount of purified water you need.
You have learned another way to make distilled water at home, but this is not the last one.
Third method
Now we will learn how to make distilled water at home by freezing. Everything is very simple. Pour the settled water into ice-making tanks and put it in the freezer. In terms of physical and chemical properties, pure water will freeze faster than water with impurities. When ice has formed in the containers (about half or a little more), drain the upper liquid, and melt the ice at room temperature - and get distilled water.
