At one time, distilled water was available primarily for use in steam irons and scientific laboratories. Its benefit as a supply for every day use was not discussed because very few people considered that possibility. Now, when a huge percentage of the population drink only bottled water, whether distilled water is a health benefit or a health risk is hotly debated. That debate will continue, but the way water is distilled is a very old and well understood process. Learn about that process by reading on.
Instructions
1. Understand that distillation is based upon the fact that liquids boil and go from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase. As long as whatever is "contaminating" the liquid, bacteria, metals, and other "junk," go into a gaseous phase at a higher temperature, then the gaseous phase of the liquid (steam in the case of water) is pure. The gaseous phase is converted back into liquid by cooling, and a source of pure liquid has been produced.
2. Take a heat resistant glass flask, such as a Pyrex container and into its top, place a stopper that is connected to a glass or copper condenser. A condenser is basically just a cold surface where the hot molecules of water in the form of steam cool off and once again become liquid.
3. Attach another collecting beaker to the end of the condenser.
4. Boil the water in the glass flask. The steam will run through the condenser and the water will collect in the glass beaker. The water collected in the collecting beaker is now "once distilled water."
5. Repeat the process to remove more contaminants.
Tags: gaseous phase, distilled water, collecting beaker, glass flask