How Does Ionized Water Impact Health?

[shounakbhatta]

We often hear of ionized water, purified water. How does it help in our health? I mean to say what is the difference between drinking water and purified/ionized water.

Thanks,

-- Shounak

 

[mathman]

We often hear of ionized water, purified water. How does it help in our health? I mean to say what is the difference between drinking water and purified/ionized water.

Thanks,

-- Shounak

My personal opinion - a marketing gimmick for the people selling this product.

 

[Leo McDevitt]

Basic Chemistry of "ionized" water

Nearly all water (except pure water such as distilled water) is ionized to some degree. Water is ionized any time you dissolve a substance in it. For example, if you dissolve salt in pure water, you get water with sodium ions and chloride ions in it. The water is now ionized.

The water coming out of your tap is ionized water. If you have hard water, your water contains:

magnesium ions
calcium ions
carbonate ions
Plus other trace ions

There are two kinds of ionized waters produced simultaneously by water ionizer machines: Alkaline water and acid water. Both types of water must be produced at the same time because the ionizer machine separates carbonate ions from mineral ions (calcium and magnesium). Both are discharged in separate water streams.

After separation, the calcium and magnesium hydrolyze with water to regain chemical equilibrium. The result is water with dissolved calcium hydroxide and magnesium hydroxide - this makes alkaline water.

The carbonate ions are discharged in a separate water stream. They also combine with water to form a weak solution of carbonic acid. This makes acidic water.

The alkaline water has shown a link to bone health, and can neutralize acids. Typically, it takes about 17 - 25 8 ounce glasses of alkaline water from one of these machines to neutralize the acidity of a can of soda. Studies of alkaline water for health are preliminary, and ongoing.

The acidic water can be useful for topical treatment of conditions like eczema and acne.

 

[Borek]

Define what you mean by "ionized", as the definition you used is not following the one used in chemistry. Or at least it is not following the one I am used to.

Water autodissociates, producing two ions - H⁺ and OH^-. They are always present in water, whether it is a a stinkin' poodle or ultrapure 18 MΩ. This is what we usually mean by "ionization" when it comes to water.

Then the water can contain other ions, from dissolved ionic substances. But I don't remember hearing the process of introducing them named "ionization".

 

[russ_watters]

Perhaps the OP meant de-ionized water?

 

[Leo McDevitt]

"Ionized" water is not well defined

I was attempting to explain that ions get put into water by dissolving substances in it

According to retired chemist Stephen Lower there is no such thing as "ionized" water. Semantically he's right. De-ionized water exists as a phrase, but "ionized" water is a meaningless term. I used the term "ionized" water to mean - water that has not had the ions removed from it e.g not de-ionized water.

The process of introducing ions to water is not ionization, the correct term for the process is Dissolution. I was attempting to clarify the process that the inaccurately-named machines called water ionizers use to make "ionized" water (membrane electrolysis).

 

[ImaLooser]

We often hear of ionized water, purified water. How does it help in our health? I mean to say what is the difference between drinking water and purified/ionized water.

Thanks,

-- Shounak

There is no such thing as ionized water. Ultrapure distilled water tastes flat and is mildly bad for you.

Much drinking water has harmful impurities that can be filtered out. Pure water is better than that. There are a number of ways of purifying it.

I drink water straight out of a spring.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

There is no such thing as ionized water.

Well, at pH 7.0, one part in 10,000,000 is ionized: H3O+ and OH-.

 

[ImaLooser]

Well, at pH 7.0, one part in 10,000,000 is ionized: H3O+ and OH-.

Right. But that's not very much, and water like that is more or less an insulator. Besides, all water is like that. There is nothing special about it. It's just plain old pure water. I guess you could pass an electrical current through it to ionize the water, maybe that's what they mean. But it goes back to ordinary water pretty quickly, so you can't sell it.

Salt water has plenty of ions, but that's not ionized water, its salt water. Similarly, there are lots of things you can dissolve in water to produce ions. But that's water with ions dissolved in it, not ionized pure water.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

Well, at pH 7.0, one part in 10,000,000 is ionized: H3O+ and OH-.

Right. But that's not very much

That depends on the context. Arterial blood serum is kept within the physiologic range of pH 7.35-7.45 and pH 7.0 would be fairly acidotic (as in acidosis), indicative of some pathology. It's true that endogenous buffering systems as well as renal and respiratory compensation work to keep the serum pH within the normal range, so there is some tolerance for ingesting acidic fluids. The serum concentration of H+ ions (actually $H_{3}O^{+}$ ions) for physiologic pH is around one part in 25,000,000.