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Chemistry (including Biochemistry)/water pH
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Question
(1) I am not sure about the normal pH for distilled water and deionized water. Should they be around pH 7?
(2) When doing Atomic Absorption analysis, will i get a different result when using deionized water or distilled water as a solvent. And, which one would be a better choice?
I appreciate any help on this subject. Thank you very much.
1. Depends on age and how done. To get 7 for distilled you have to do it under inert gas to prevent CO2 from the air dissolving in it. Normally somewhere around 4.5. The older the closer to 4.5 you get. Deionizing takes metal ions out by exchange with acid ions, so again, you get 4-6 pH. Also, the better the process, the more the same CO2 from the air comes into play.
2. Again, it depends. It normally doesn't matter, unless you are looking at very, very, very low levels. The only problem is the degree of deionization. If that isn't working well, then distilled would be better. You need to look at the blanks using each type of water.
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Dr. Henry Boyter, Jr.
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Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.
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PhD, MS, BS in Chemistry
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