Simple elixir called a 'miracle liquid' ~ Electrolyzed water cleans, degreases...

[peaceandlove]

Simple elixir called a 'miracle liquid'

By Marla Dickerson
February 23, 2009

Electrolyzed water cleans, degreases -- and treats athlete's foot. The solution is replacing toxic chemicals.

It's a kitchen degreaser. It's a window cleaner. It kills athlete's foot. Oh, and you can drink it.

Sounds like the old "Saturday Night Live" gag for Shimmer, the faux floor polish plugged by Gilda Radner. But the elixir is real. It has been approved by U.S. regulators. And it's starting to replace the toxic chemicals Americans use at home and on the job.

The stuff is a simple mixture of table salt and tap water whose ions have been scrambled with an electric current. Researchers have dubbed it electrolyzed water -- hardly as catchy as Mr. Clean. But at the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica, some hotel workers are calling it el liquido milagroso -- the miracle liquid.

That's as good a name as any for a substance that scientists say is powerful enough to kill anthrax spores without harming people or the environment.

Used as a sanitizer for decades in Russia and Japan, it's slowly winning acceptance in the United States. A New York poultry processor uses it to kill salmonella on chicken carcasses. Minnesota grocery clerks spray sticky conveyors in the checkout lanes. Michigan jailers mop with electrolyzed water to keep potentially lethal cleaners out of the hands of inmates.

Video and Article continues: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedi...3.story?page=1

[Carmen]

Wow, Thanks peaceandlove, a great thread and product. Something simple, healthy and effective.

[oldpaganfreak]

water has always been known as the universal solvent. go figger....

[jascom]

Any info concerning this technology being made affordable? Or, better yet, any info where we can all go to find out how to do it ourselves? I am not an electrician much less a physicist but this is probably not that difficult. If someone does produce a home-scale model it will probably cost an arm and a leg. Likewise the sale of prepared water will undoubtedly be far in excess of the costs of production.

Thanks for the info. I will be watching for further developments of this.

jascom

[Jnana]

Short note - the antimicrobial effects may be coming from copper compounds which come from the electrodes used in electrolysis. Copper sulfate is used to kill algae in farm ponds - it's the copper ions (Cu2+) that do the work. During electrolysis you will also be producing chlorine gas (poisonous) and hydrogen gas (explosive). Be careful about messing with chemistry you don't understand. See health notes below.

The equipment required to do this is minimal. I used to play around with electrolysis when I was in high school using an electric train transformer (12V max), bits of wire, and a couple of pennies. I filled a baggie with hydrogen gas and lit it. Made a nice "pop".


From: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/fo...php?topic=1298

What happens during electrolysis of salt water with copper electrodes?

We've discussed this topic in some detail previously, but to summarise :

When you pass an electric current through a solution, ions (charged particles) migrate towards the electrode of the opposite charge.

In a salt solution (NaCl) the dominant species of ions are sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-), because only a tiny amount of water (H2O) is ionised (to H+ and OH-) at pH 7, and that's why pure water is very difficult to electrolyse (and why teachers add acid to help the process).

So when you apply a current to the solution using copper electrodes, the chloride ions (Cl-), termed anions, will move towards the positive electrode (the anode), whilst the positively-charged sodium ions (the cations) will migrate towards the negative electrode (the cathode). The migrating ions carry charge through the solution and hence help to complete the circuit.

At the anode 2 chloride ions (Cl-) will each surrender an electron to the anode (which likes electrons because it is positively charged) to form a molecule of chlorine gas, which you see fizzing off :

2Cl-(aq) -> Cl2(g) + 2e-

At the same time, the copper (Cu) forming the electrode will also try to donate electrons :

Cu(s) -> 2e- + Cu2+(aq). When the copper (Cu) gives up 2 electrons it forms a copper ion (Cu2+) which then goes into solution, turning the electrolyte blue / green, as you have observed.

At the negative electode (cathode) hydrogen ions (H+) from water pick up electrons to form hydrogen :

2H+(aq) + 2e- -> H2(g)

...and the copper ions (Cu2+) which were mobilised from the anode also pick up electrons to form metallic copper which is deposited on the cathode :

Cu2+(aq) + 2e- -> Cu(s).

So if you weighed the 2 electrodes before and after the experiment, and carried on for long enough, you should be able to demonstrate that the anode (the positive electrode) gets lighter, and the cathode (the negative electrode) gets heavier.

Chris


You mentioned the safety of copper chloride. Here's a snippet from the Material Safety Data Sheet. Keep in mind that these things are usually a bit on the pessimistic side to figure for all possible reactions and health effects and usually account for large doses.

Potential Health Effects
----------------------------------

Inhalation:
Causes irritation to respiratory tract, symptoms may include coughing, sore throat, and shortness of breath. May result in ulceration and perforation of respiratory tract. When heated, this compound may give off copper fume, which can cause symptoms similar to the common cold, including chills and stuffiness of the head.

Ingestion:
May cause burning pain in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Hemorrhagic gastritis, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, metallic taste, and diarrhea may occur. If vomiting does not occur immediately systemic copper poisoning may occur. Symptoms may include capillary damage, headache, cold sweat, weak pulse, kidney and liver damage, central nervous excitation followed by depression, jaundice, convulsions, blood effects, paralysis and coma. Death may occur from shock or renal failure.

Skin Contact:
Causes irritation, redness, and pain. Some individuals may develop copper allergies.

Eye Contact:
Causes irritation, redness, pain, discoloration and damage. May cause conjunctivitis, ulceration or clouding of the cornea.

Chronic Exposure:
Prolonged or repeated skin exposure may cause dermatitis. Prolonged or repeated exposure to dusts of copper salts may cause discoloration of the skin or hair, blood and liver damage, ulceration and perforation of the nasal septum, runny nose, metallic taste, and atrophic changes and irritation of the mucous membranes.

Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Persons with pre-existing skin disorders, impaired liver, kidney, or pulmonary function, glucose 6-phosphate-dehydrogenase deficiency, or pre-existing Wilson's disease may be more susceptible to the effects of this material.

[waitinginthewings]

MMS will do the same thing without all the cost.