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Deionized water (DI water or de-ionized water; also spelled deionised water, see spelling differences) is water that lacks ions, such as cations from sodium, calcium, iron, copper and anions such as chloride and bromide. This means it has been purified from all other ions but H3O+ and OH−, but it may still contain other non-ionic types of impurities such as organic compounds. This type of water is produced using an ion exchange process.
Deionized water is similar to distilled water, in that it is useful for scientific experiments where the presence of impurities may be undesirable.
The lack of ions also causes the water's resistivity to increase. Ultra-pure deionized water can have a theoretical maximum resistivity up to 18.3 MΩ·cm, compared to around 15 kΩ·cm for common tap water. Deionized water's high resistivity allows it, in some very highly speciallized instances, to be used as a coolant in direct contact with high-voltage electrical equipment. Because of its high relative dielectric constant (~80), it is also used (for short durations) as a high voltage dielectric in many pulsed power applications, such as Sandia's Z Machine.
The pH of deionized water will change easily while in storage. Carbon dioxide, present in the atmosphere, will dissolve into the water, lowering the solution pH. The limited buffering capacity of DI water will not inhibit the formation of carbonic acid H2CO3. Boiling the water will remove the carbon dioxide to restore the pH.
The uses of ultrapure deionized water are many and varied, often having application in scientific experimentation such as when very pure chemical reagent solutions are needed in a chemical reaction or when a biological growth medium needs to be sterile and very pure. DI water is also used extensively in the semiconductor industry to process and clean silicon wafers and sometimes in the optics industry when very highly clean optical surfaces are required for coating. DI water is also often used as a final rinse when washing scientific glassware. Deionized water is very often used as an "ingredient" in many cosmetics and pharmaceuticals where it is sometimes referred to as "aqua" on product ingredient labels. This use again owes to its lack of potential for causing undesired chemical reactions due to impurities. A recent use of DI water is that of a final rinse in some car washes where because it contains so little dissolved solutes, the car dries without leaving any spots.
See also
External links
- Deionized Water (Physics Van QA Forum)
"Deionized water"