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Letter 28015 Will distilled water conduct electricity
Hi, Edward. Yes you can run electrical devices submerged in very pure water. But distilled water may not be pure enough. And as soon as you put the PC in the water, some salts from soldering fluxes or other sources may start contaminating it. You probably would need to recirculate the water through a very capable deionization system such as is used to generate ultra pure water for semiconductor fabrication to remove that salt. Regards,
+++++ Water doesn't conduct electricity at all...sorry but it is true. Joyce Eblen
+++++ Joyce don't be quick to jump to conclusions based on myths you've been told all your life. The truth is water DOES conduct electricity, even PURE DISTILLED water. The fact is electrically speaking there is 3 categories of materials: Conductors, insulators, and semi-conductors. Even insulators will conduct electricity if sufficient voltage is applied to them to overcome their huge resistance. While developing a precipitation sensor I personally conducted multiple experiments on conduction thru water and especially distilled water as rain water is mostly mineral free. I tried various brands of distilled water and even some I distilled myself thru a vat system. The results were all the same. At 12 v and using the same distance apart on the electrodes I observed a current of about 70 micro amps passing thru the water. And yes, you're right that's a horrible conductor but it was NOT zero it did conduct and using higher voltages would even further overcome the resistance and the results would most likely NOT be linear as you increase the voltage the resistance would break down and you would see a curved results line. Jared Greathouse
January 3, 2006 Indeed water can be rated by its conductivity. For example, in the semiconductor industry they often use "ultrapure" water with a conductivity of 18 micro-ohm-cm.
+++++ I am a 6th grade student doing a science experiment on whether a battery can conduct through water to make a buzzer ring. So far I have used 2, 1.5 V AA batteries with nothing, then I added another 1.5 V with nothing happening. Finally, I hooked up a 9 V and nothing happened. When I touched the wires together under water the buzzer rang but even if the wires were a mm apart the buzzer did not work. Do I need a stronger battery or do I really need A LOT of electricity? Or will this even work? Barbara G
January 3, 2006 I suspect that it won't work, Barbara. Liquids do not conduct electricity anywhere near as well as metal. Do not use a higher voltage battery, as it could start getting dangerous. But start by putting the two wires very close together in a bowl of wet salt. If that doesn't work, it doesn't work. If it does, use more water and less salt until it doesn't work.. Good luck.
November 28, 2006 Interesting.. I was just pondering this subject.. nice to know that others are inquiring.. I have always said that water is a poor conductor.. never knew any specifics though. I have ran many 12 v DC applications completely submerged in H20 with no issue. Ben Lewis
November 29, 2006 I AM IN 6th GRADE AND I AM DOING A PROJECT ON "IS WATER A CONDUCTOR OF ELECTRICITY" AND I HAVE FIGURED OUT THAT WATER IS NOT A CONDUCTOR UNLESS YOU USE WELL OR CITY BECAUSE THEY HAVE MINERALS AND DISTILLED WATER YOU HAVE TO ADD IMPURITIES SUCH AS SALT AND I WAS WONDERING IF I WAS RIGHT. JIMMY P
January 21, 2007 I am the father of a second grader who is learning how water
conducts. Jeromy
February 25, 2007 I just did an experiment w/ my daughter using a series of L.E.D.'s (+ to -) I soldered together along w/ a 1k ohm resistor between the 9-volt battery and the L.E.D.'s on both positive and negative end. This experiment worked great. I used jumper wires w/ alligator clips to connect one end (+ or - doesn't seem to matter) from the battery directly (via the resistor) to the corresponding (+ to + or - to -) pole on the L.E.D.'s. On the opposite pole I used two sets of jumper wires one running from the battery to a plastic bowl of distilled water then a second jumper wire from the opposite end of the bowl (not touching the first) to the L.E.D.'s (again + to + or - to -) via the resistor. I hope this doesn't have some inherent flaw in it. Jason Detty
February 26, 2007 Diodes only allow electricity to flow in one direction, Jason, so the polarity should matter. I'm surprised that it could work if the diodes were reversed, but I may have misunderstood your description. I note this so that if you start getting anomalous results, of when current flows and when it doesn't, the direction of the diodes can account for the current not flowing.
September 15, 2007 So... if it's impossible to have truly pure, particle-free water,
then we have to ask the ultimate question of: "Does water, in it's
most basic, purest form, conduct?" I always thought that the answer,
in theory, was no. After a lot of cross-referencing and much
deliberation, I've come to the tentative conclusion that, electrons,
in their affinity for diffusion in favor of a conductor, will travel
through any object, water included, up to a point, depending on the
strength of the charge. Electrons, being what electrical currents are
comprised of, are too powerfully simple, and unstoppable in their
never-ending quest for molecular diffusion. PFC Steve J Bell, Cmbt
Medic
September 16, 2007 First things first, Private Bell: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY! Very pure water used in semi-conductor fabrication is 18
megaohm-cm. You can compare this to other materials and see that the
resistance is quite high. Pure water conducts very little, but it
conducts. Pure water conducts very very slightly because H2O very
very very slightly ionizes to H+ and
December 5, 2007 Water will not ionize to give you doubly charged O (ie. O--) but
rather hydronium (H3O+) and hydroxide (OH-). The protons don't just
break off, they have to be taken off. Eric Freeburg
December 5, 2007 Absolutely, Eric. I can't account for my writing something which was so obviously and knowingly wrong. Must have been on my 3rd nightcap :-)
December 10, 2007 50 years ago I did a science project, trying to determine whether heat affected the conductivity of electrolytic solutions. It did. I used 3 different solutions, can't remember what they were. Trying to help young friend now in High School do same experiment. I used household AC current, blew a few fuses. He is planning to use 6-volt battery, reading conductivity via a small multi-meter. It may work (hasn't tried yet) but I don't think it would be as impressive, although safer. Do you agree, and how would be a safe way to pass AC current through containers of liquid? And should the meter be in-line, or with probes immersed in the liquid, between nails or copper rods or whatever he uses? Any suggestions on how to make it more impressive or better? I merely used hotplates to heat the solutions. Jan Myers
January 30, 2008 Yes, very pure water does conduct a little. Phil Jackson
April 4, 2008 Are there any superior materials you can mention that are fairly
accessible that when dissolved in water will heat rapidly with
electricity applied that aren't toxic? This is a science project to
reinvent the jail-house immersion heater. Jason N
April 29, 2008 Hey Science nerds, Tom K
My friend and I are doing a science project in school and we are
in grade 8 and we were wondering why does electricity flow in water?
our aim is to create electricity through running water. We also want
to demonstrate that with more salt added to the water, the brighter
the light bulb will get. Karima W.
October 16, 2008 I'd like to take a scientific stab at answering this question for
the readers. Erik Rogers, BSME
November 15, 2008 My daughter is working on a similar science project, however, she is using soda, orange juice, and distilled water. Will electricity flow through soda and orange juice? Laura Martinez
December 10, 2008 Hi, Laura. Experienced researchers usually do the research first and the experiments second to save some effort. But those researchers have expertise and self confidence, and can usually be trusted to honestly record their findings when they differ from what their research led them to believe would happen, But I think students should do the experiment first and the research later because a young student will almost never have the experience and self confidence to trust their own findings when they don't agree with the research. And consequently they will carefully practice and carefully learn "junk science" (learning to lie to them self and adjust what they "saw" to match the answer they're 'supposed' to get). So tell us what results she got when she tried to get electricity to flow through soda and orange juice, and then we'll try to help her understand those results. Good luck. Regards,
why does water conduct electricity and other objects do not? Chris H
January 10, 2009 Hi, Chris. Please express your question in terms of what has already been said on this page, rather than starting over. But water does not conduct electricity and many other objects do, so now you have two reasons to rephrase it :-) Good luck. Regards,
I am a 6th grader doing a science project on making a light bulb light up with distilled water and other substances. I have about tried everything but my light bulb won't turn on. What are some good substances I should try? Casie P
January 14, 2009 Hi, Casie. No liquid will conduct electricity anywhere near as well as copper wire, so it is possible that your bulb is too big or your batteries too small. But try very salty water and, instead of just putting two wires in it, attach sheets of aluminum foil to them as Jeromy described on Jan 21, 2007. Good luck. Regards,
If pure water does not conduct electricity, whey do i still need
to be careful about electricity near water? Sara B
February 17, 2009 Hi, Sara. Because you are unlikely to find "pure" water and, even if you did, whatever went into the water, whether it be you and or some electrical device, will immediately render the water impure. Saying that pure water doesn't conduct electricity is something for science class not for real life. Regards,
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