What does my distilled water contain

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the composition of distilled battery water and its reactions with copper hydroxide. Participants explore the chemical nature of the liquid, particularly whether it contains hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, and the implications of its reactivity.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant observes that the distilled battery water fizzes and reacts with copper hydroxide, questioning if it contains hydrochloric acid.
  • Another participant clarifies that battery water typically refers to a mixture of distilled water and sulfuric acid, suggesting that the reaction with copper hydroxide produces copper sulfate.
  • A third participant notes that the green color observed in the solution could indicate the presence of other substances affecting the copper ions, rather than pure copper sulfate, which is typically blue.
  • There is speculation about potential contaminants in the sulfuric acid that could lead to the observed green color, but no consensus on what those contaminants might be.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the exact composition of the distilled battery water or the reason for the green color observed in the solution. Multiple competing views regarding the chemical reactions and possible contaminants remain.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the specific contaminants in the sulfuric acid and the implications for the observed color change. The discussion lacks definitive conclusions about the chemical nature of the distilled battery water.

Mniazi
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I had this distilled battery water, it fizzes when I throw it on rock and it turns copper hydroxide into a greenish solution. does it have hydrochloric acid?
 
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I'm sorry you are not finding help at the moment. Is there any additional information you can share with us?
 
When you say battery water, are you talking about the liquid that is inside of a lead-acid battery? That is a mixture of distilled water and battery acid (sulfuric acid, H2SO4)

Copper Hydroxide [ Cu(OH)2 ] reacts with diluted Sulfuric Acid [ H2SO4 ] to form water and Copper Sulfate [ CuSO4 ].

Edit: Though, why it's green I couldn't tell you...I'm not super good with chemistry, but this reaction is pretty much the way to create Blue Vitriol.
 
Last edited:
Battery "water" is sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
It turns green when it reacts copper hydroxide because copper (II) ions are blue in solution.
From the reaction that should occur:
Cu(OH)2 (s) + H2SO4 (aq) = CuSO4 (aq) + H2O (l)
Copper (II) sulfate should be produced. In solution, this is a deep blue color. The fact that it is green as opposed to blue means that there is something else in your H2SO4 that the copper is forming a complex with. For instance, in citric acid, copper (II) ions form a light green complex. So, you've got H2SO4 with some sort of contamination. I'm not sure what it could be.
 

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