Distilled water

Distilled water ( also: Aqua PH 5, Aquadest, from Latin: aqua destillata; European Pharmacopoeia: aqua purificata ) is water (H2O ), which was removed by distillation from occurring in the normal spring water or tap water ions, trace elements and impurities. In medicine, pharmacy, biology and chemistry it is used as a solvent and also as a cleansing agent.

Production

Distilled water is recovered by distillation ( evaporation and subsequent condensation ) from ordinary tap water or from pre-purified water. It is substantially free of salts, organic matter and microorganisms. However, it may still contain small amounts of volatile compounds.

Properties

Also contains pure water due to the autoionization or ions, it conducts electricity but only to a very limited extent.

Multiple distilled water

If particularly pure water is needed, a single-stage distillation is sufficient not to achieve the desired purity and clarity. Therefore, there is double-distilled ( double-distilled ) water ( aqua bidestillata, abbreviated bidest also aqua or Bidestillatus ) and triply distilled water ( aqua tridestillata ). Made of glass vessels slight traces dissolve in the distillation silica and contaminate the water. Therefore repeatedly distilled water is distilled and stored in the second passage in quartz or platinum vessel.

Effect on the body

Drinking distilled water in conventional amounts no acute health risks to worry about. For heavily over-consumption however, there is also present at normal water risk of water intoxication. Quote of the German Nutrition Society ( DGE): " The exclusive use of distilled water, in a one-sided diet lead to a depletion of the body with electrolytes ."

In some areas of the world (eg, Southeast Asia), distilled water industry bottled, sold and preferred by many people as a particularly " pure " drinking water.

Michael Fromm from the Charité says the maximum drinking quantity of distilled water, spread over several days into perspective:

" The kidney may dilute the urine maximum of up to 50 mOsmol / l, ie excretion less than 25 mmol NaCl per liter of urine. The Na concentration in the plasma may fall to about 120 mmol / l, before symptoms occur, ie a reduction of 25 mmol / l Cl - is relatively unimportant. The volume of distribution for NaCl in the plasma is 25 % plus the interstitial space of the body weight, that is 17 liters at 70 kg. A kidney- healthy person could drink so theoretically a total of 17 liters of water without the addition of electrolytes. "

So Distilled water is dangerous only in large quantities and only when using the food thereby missing the quantity of electrolyte is not balanced. However, a danger to the body is distilled water (but just as normal drinking water ) when it enters the blood stream directly (eg, via an infusion ). Then the body's cells can burst because of osmosis process (see hemolysis and isotonic ).

In another way, demineralized water

Distillation is because of the energy expended for expensive and environmentally unfavorable. For everyday use, is therefore predominantly used instead of distilled water, the less expensive purified demineralized water. It is purified by ion exchange and comes under the names distillate same water, deionized water ( " fully desalted " ), deionized water, battery water or ironing water in the trade. These products can only be obtained by removing ions and differ from distilled water by possibly remaining in the water apolar substances and impurities from ion-exchange resins. Therefore, these products should not be labeled as distilled water. In certain cases, reverse osmosis is preferably used for preparing them, provides a similar clean water such as distillation. Similar methods are also used for seawater desalination.