Water - Page 2

LoreD · February 22, 2007

Lee Valley has a water filter that fits on an outside faucet and is supposed to get all the chemicals out of tap water. I think its about $35.00.

LoreD

Vince · February 22, 2007

Lore D,

I would be skeptical about any one filter removing all of the "bad" chemicals from water. I am not an expert at water purification but I do know a little about chemistry. In the water sterilization process of most industrialized societies they bubble chlorine gas through the water. This kills most of the nasty microbes, but also produces chlorinated organic compounds that probably aren't good for plants or people. Moreover, chloramines are added to the water since 911 in the US, which are probably not so good for you either. These are very small molecules in trace amounts that are not real easy to seperate from water.Some dissolved salts such as perchlorate are probaly not good for living things either, but are easier to remove than the chlorinated organics and Chloramines (you just need to distil the water to remove salts). Anyways I have no resonable means to water my plants with highly purified water and would suggest to all to be careful when buying water filters for your house that claim to remove "all" the bad chemicals.

Vince, who will be finishing his PhD in organic/inorganic chemistry within a year and was working with a tank of chlorine gas last week to make chlorinated compounds.

dcarch · February 22, 2007

Activated charcoal and reverse-osmosis filters are the ones which can remove many kinds of impurities, I think.

Distillation is the only 100% purification process, I think.

dcarch

landarc · February 22, 2007

Vince, is it that the chlorine and chloramines (more accurately) do not break down or otherwise leave the water? I have never ahd a problem with watering, but, I read that I the water in my area is considered to be one of the better municpal sources. Just curious as many i know use filters.

Ruth_10 · February 22, 2007

Dcarch, yes, activated charcoal and reverse osmosis will remove many things but not all. Distillation will as well, unless there are volatiles that co-distill. A bone fide distillation, with many theoretical plates, should get very, very close to 100% pure.
Lanarc, filters work based on particle size. Microbes are big, chlorine and chloramine and most "chemicals" are small and pass through a filter. An activated charoal "filter" works by adsorbing (not absorbing) molecules onto the charcoal, so it is not a "filter" in the technical sense (though the charcoal rests on a filter), but more of a chromatography.

Ruth_chemist, who used a tank of carbon monoxide today.

Vince · February 22, 2007

Landarc,

I am not sure how long it takes for these chlorinated compounds to "break down". But even when they do they might are converted to something else chlorinated and they don't just vanish from the water unless they are extremely volatile.

Ruth_10,

Carbon monoxide is fun stuff. What are you doing, making transition metal complexes?

Vince · February 22, 2007

Landarc,

I am not sure how long it takes for these chlorinated compounds to "break down". But even when they do they might are converted to something else chlorinated and they don't just vanish from the water unless they are extremely volatile.

Ruth_10,

Carbon monoxide is fun stuff. What are you doing, making transition metal complexes?

Ruth_10 · February 22, 2007

Vince, nope, no transition metal complexes. I was making an aryl amide using a Pd catalyst, CO, and an amine. Nice reaction, usually. Not today.

dcarch · February 22, 2007

One of the many interesting uses of CO is the meat industry to make stale meat look fresh.

dcarch

February 22, 2007	#16
LoreD Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Chicago Suburbs Posts: 306	Lee Valley has a water filter that fits on an outside faucet and is supposed to get all the chemicals out of tap water. I think its about $35.00. LoreD __________________ Its not what you get to keep in life, its what you get to give away.

February 22, 2007	#17
Vince Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Riverside, CA Posts: 942	Lore D, I would be skeptical about any one filter removing all of the "bad" chemicals from water. I am not an expert at water purification but I do know a little about chemistry. In the water sterilization process of most industrialized societies they bubble chlorine gas through the water. This kills most of the nasty microbes, but also produces chlorinated organic compounds that probably aren't good for plants or people. Moreover, chloramines are added to the water since 911 in the US, which are probably not so good for you either. These are very small molecules in trace amounts that are not real easy to seperate from water.Some dissolved salts such as perchlorate are probaly not good for living things either, but are easier to remove than the chlorinated organics and Chloramines (you just need to distil the water to remove salts). Anyways I have no resonable means to water my plants with highly purified water and would suggest to all to be careful when buying water filters for your house that claim to remove "all" the bad chemicals. Vince, who will be finishing his PhD in organic/inorganic chemistry within a year and was working with a tank of chlorine gas last week to make chlorinated compounds. __________________ Vince

February 22, 2007	#18
dcarch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 2,618	Activated charcoal and reverse-osmosis filters are the ones which can remove many kinds of impurities, I think. Distillation is the only 100% purification process, I think. dcarch __________________ tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato tomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomatomato matomato

February 22, 2007	#19
landarc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Left Coasty Posts: 964	Vince, is it that the chlorine and chloramines (more accurately) do not break down or otherwise leave the water? I have never ahd a problem with watering, but, I read that I the water in my area is considered to be one of the better municpal sources. Just curious as many i know use filters. __________________ Lets see...$10 for Worth and $5 for Fusion, man. Tomatoes are expensive! Bob

February 22, 2007	#20
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Dcarch, yes, activated charcoal and reverse osmosis will remove many things but not all. Distillation will as well, unless there are volatiles that co-distill. A bone fide distillation, with many theoretical plates, should get very, very close to 100% pure. Lanarc, filters work based on particle size. Microbes are big, chlorine and chloramine and most "chemicals" are small and pass through a filter. An activated charoal "filter" works by adsorbing (not absorbing) molecules onto the charcoal, so it is not a "filter" in the technical sense (though the charcoal rests on a filter), but more of a chromatography. Ruth_chemist, who used a tank of carbon monoxide today. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.