THE NATURE OF WATER
Water is nature’s universal solvent. It dissolves more things than any other liquid or gas. It may not dissolve some substances like fats, oils, sand, sulfur, but it dissolves almost all other substances if given enough time at the right temperature.
Water goes through a cycle in nature. From clouds as vapor, it condenses and drops as rainwater, flows over land surface to streams and rivers, and ultimately finds its way into the oceans and seas. During its voyage over land, streams, rivers, on oceans and seas, it is heated and evaporated into the atmosphere where it forms clouds and again ready to repeat the cycle. Some of it seeps through the various layers of the earth’s crust and find their way into the water table. From here, it is once more pumped out to the surface. Given the journey that it takes, it is no wonder then that practically all water found in nature are contaminated with dissolved minerals, chemicals and microorganisms.
Water is nature’s most abundant resource. It covers nearly three fourths of the earth’s surface in the form of oceans, seas, icebergs, and ice caps. It is carried in the air as vapor and lies beneath the surface of the earth. It is found in all living things where it accounts for about two thirds by weight.
Water with high mineral content is a problem. When it contains calcium and magnesium compounds it is called “hard water”. Also dissolved are irons, limestones, and other minerals. Hardness vary from place to place.
Hard water has its disadvantages. It contains objectionable amounts of dissolved salts of Calcium and Magnesium. These are present as bicarbonates, chlorides, or sulfates. When used as laundry water, it forms no suds, and consumes and wastes a lot of soap. Minerals in hard water form scales. In coffee kettles, minerals are seen as scales at the bottom, and in engines of cars, trucks, tractors, and generators, the scales form in the cooling systems and radiators thus causing overheating.
Pure water is a chemical compound made up of atoms which have united to form a molecule. A molecule of water is made up of 2 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. Pure H2O tastes differently from what we know. Pure H2O is tasteless – no taste at all. It is almost impossible to produce it outside the laboratory. Ordinary distilled water usually contains traces of other chemicals, gases, minerals, and other chemicals which give them a typical flavor.