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ORP and Particularly, the Reducing Potential, of Water site located at http://h-minus-ion.vpinf.com Introduction If you have ended up on this page, you have probably been reading the other pages on this site on the H-minus ion, and particularly, are well-aware of the four most common means of "getting it" as a nutritional supplement (or to play with in the laboratory), the latter two of which offer it in powerful concentratins:
As noted above, the term ERW stands for "electrolyzed reduced water", or water which has been electrochemically modified by electrolysis to enrich it with the h-minus ion (in a caged, protected form, of course, given it's incredibly short mean free lifetime in many environments!) Next, and more importantly, the term "RW" stands for the broader category of "reduced water", which includes water which has had it's ORP shifted into the reducing region by any of a number means, only a small percentage of which might involve electricity or electrolysis. Therefore, while the category of RW includes ERW, it (RW) also includes water which exhibits a high concentration of H-mins ions, but which was not produced by any electrical means (such as electrolysis). However, there are actually a number
ways of creating H-minus ions in water without electricity/electrolysis,
and often without the artificial corrollary of high alkalinity as well.
However, many of these methods really cannot get the H-minus concentration
to a place where the resultant ORP is much stronger than -200 mv.
There are a few that can go much further. The primary purpose of
this page is to offer a little informatin on some of those means, and yet
without revealing any proprietary informatin from my laboratories.
First, a Review of Electrolyzed Reduced Water Electrolysis of water is only one of several ways to create reduced water high in H-minus ions and their associated water cages or clusters, and with extremely negative ORP, and it is about the only method which might involve significant shift of pH to the alkaline region due to concentration of alkaline mineral ions. Nonetheless, when performing electrolysis to produce "ionized" electrolyzed reduced water (ERW), the shift to alkaline pH of the reduced water is essentially an accidental corollary, and not inextricably linked to concentration of H-minus ions. Having said that, in general it is true that pH continues to increase as we drive the ORP of the reduced water more and more into the negative region when reducing water via electrolysis. For example, I have here several devices which produce electrolyzed reduced water (ERW) with an ORP of about -830 mv. (some even ranging to -920 mv.), and at an ORP of -830, the pH usually measures in the range of 11.2 to 12.2. However, see notes below for further information on this! Unfortunately, if you read my description (on other pages on this website) of what I did to the Jupiter Technos closely, you will see that the total cost is about $2,000, which is well more than the purchase price for a Super Oxide Labo commercial batch water ionizer (about $1,600). Further, it takes up a good part of my kitchen and kitchen wall, and looks like a Rube Goldberg invention! Increased pH (alkalinity) is totally
an artifact of the particular process used to create the atomic H and negative
H in the water in the "alkaline" electrolytic cell. There are at
least 8 other ways which I know of to enrich water significantly with atomic
and negative hydrogen, and thus lower the ORP significantly, most of which
do not change the pH much or at all. None of these methods use direct
electrolysis of water by an electrical current. Some of these methods
may change thw water a bit toward alkaline, due to greater ionic dissociation
and precipitation, but none so much as electrolysis with mineral salts
in the water.
Shifting the ORP of Water Without Electrolysis: Non-electrolytic ORP Shift Methods Introduction This section will examine a number of known means other than electrolysis in separated chambers, for producing changes in ORP in water. Some means are well-known, and others are les well-known. A few are proprietary. The methods which which will be covered in greatest detail will be those which are of interest because of their potential for producing RW for consumption as a nutritional suplement, and the methods which will be covered in least depth are those which are and have been quite well-known in mainstream scientific circles, and well documented and studied in that literature. This survey will include both methods
which increase ORP as well as those which decrease ORP.
Basics As recounted above, there are at least eight ways other than electrolysis to create reduced water (RW), and most of them will shift the ORP of tap water (which usually starts at an ORP of about +360 to +400 mv) only to about -70 mv to perhaps -290 mv, or roughly the same range where almost all countertop flow-thru water ionizers create ERW -- as they usually produce "alkaline" water with an ORP of about -140 to -190. However, some of the methods I have at hand will bring water to an ORP of perhaps -600, and perhaps even more strongly reduced than that, particularly if I combine methods. Some of the methods are largely proprietary,
and I can reveal little further information about them. Other methods are
more in the public domain,and I can share them freely (below.)
However, to tantalize you and perhaps tease your mind into making some
intuitive shifts, I can tell you that I have in my kitchen (and more
in my lab) some ordinary 1/2 gallon amber jugs, with no electrical or electronic
devices attached at all; I call these the "magic jugs"/ I add tap
water with an ORP of perhaps +390 mv to a jug, and the next morning, the
water has an ORP of -220, and tests reveal that the water has strong reducing
powers, which is really a better indicator of presence of the H-minus ion
than is ORP alone. Indeed, 48 hours after pouring into the jug, the
ORP of the water in the magic jug is -550 mv.
The "Magic Jugs" As noted above, I have several methods, notably my "magic jugs", which drive my friends (those who own water ionizers) crazy. The magic jugs are 1/2 gallon amber glass "wine-type" jugs with handles, and use no electricity or moving parts at all, and are almost zero maintenance. Each contains only a small amount of a non-moving, non-electrical piece of material (any of several materials; the substance usually lasts for many years) at the bottom of the jug. I simply add fresh tap water to the jug (usually with an ORP of about +390 mv), and within 24 hours, depending upon which "magic substance" is in the jug, and whether I added a bit of [a readily available and very cheap and simple food-grade substance, found in foods, which I will call "X"] to the water, the ORP will be anywhere from +090 to -600 mv. I can pour water to fill a mug from the jug at will, and simply replenish with tap water, and the ORP returns to it's low value almost instantly. As far as acidity or alkalinity of reduced water (RW), the mystery 1/2 gallon jug ("the magic jug") in my kitchen to which I add tap water (ORP ~ +350) and then measure the water 24 hours later to find it now has an ORP of about -220, actually often shows a mildly acidic pH of about 6.8 or 6.9, or perhaps neutral pH, at 7.0. I have some mystery jugs which produce water with an ORP of -540 and a pH of 3.9. I just finished a new set of experiments with the "magic jugs", each of them a 1/2 gallon amber glass jug, with no "active elements" (electrical parts, moving parts, etc.) at all, and only a bit of a mystery substance inside them. Each, plus a control (no treatment) jug was filled with clean fresh mountain well water from a kitchen tap. Initial ORP was +392 for each jug and initial pH was 6.5. The jugs were as follows:
The fun thing about the jugs is that they are essentially zero maintenance, and last for about 200 years of service. Whenever the water in a "magic jug" gets below the 2/3 mark, I simply add more water at the kitchen tap, plus a tiny pinch (if I wish a stronger brew) of X. Once every month or two, I empty and rinse the jugs, and then refill as always. In a few hours, the jug is full of water with the ORP lowered anywhere from 310 to 850 mv below what it was at the start. Indeed, I am so enamored of my magic jugs that I rarely use my expensive high-power water ionizers (one a batch device, the other flow-thru) any more to produce ERW, but rather decant my reduced water (RW) directly from the magic jugs. Notes on Megahydrin ™ and ORP of Water Of course, adding Megahydrin ™ or MegaH™
to water in a mug or bottle will also lower the ORP considerably (one capsule
of Megahydrin ™ will lower the ORP of 8 ounces of tap water to about -800
mv in a few hours), but they are both moderately expensive, and also, my
research has shown that Megahydrin® and ERW/RW each have slightly different
effects upon the body, and so I prefer to ingest both rather either one
alone. Incidentally, when Megahydrin ™ or MegaH™ are added to water, they
shift the ORP to about -700 to -820, and shift the pH only modestly, to
perhaps 8.0 or 8.8.
Bubbling H-minus Enriched Gas Through Water One means to enrich water with the H-minus ion is to create hydrogen gas rich in the H-minus ion (and immediately stabilize the H-minus ion, due to it's incredibly short lifetime under most conditions!) and also in atomic hydrogen, and then pass this gas, in the form of minute bubbles, through a bottle or vat of water. I am not currently able to reveal precise details of how to produce the H-minus enriched hydrogen gas, although some physicists among my readers will be able to figure it out easily. In any case, this method can and will produce strongly enriched RW, with ORPs as low as -950 mv, with strong reducing power. Indeed, more than one geologist and
geophysicist have postulated that atomic H and H-minus ion gas seeping
up from the core of the earth trhough small crevices have been a major
factor in geophysics, helping to create hydrocarbons, petroleum deposits,
various hydride deposits, and also reducing the ORP of some deep well water
in stable aquifers. This is now known as the Hydridic Theory of Geology.
A Note on Breathing H-minus Enriched Gas I am apparently one of two people alive
whom I know of who has breathed H-minus-ion rich gas (ion stabilized via
a proprietary method), for up to 30 minutes at a time. The ORP of
my urine at 2 hours and 10 hours post-session was in the -350 mv range.
I recommend that you do not try this at home: you could blow yourself up!
Exposing Water to Calcium Hydride Before you even read the following,
let me warn you that calcium hydride is extremely reactive and can be both
poisonous and explosive. It can be particularly explosive if mixed
with water. It's cousin, lithium hydride, is even more posionous,
and far more explosive. Nonetheless, calcium hydride, and certain
other chemical hydrides, when properly reacted with water, will produce
a water rich in the H-minus ion, thus producing RW. The water may
also be toxic,due to the presence of the too-strong and too-unmanageable
metal hydride.
Adding Various Oxidizing or Reducing Chemicals to Water There are a number of chemical compounds,
all well-known to chemists, which exhibit strong oxidizing or reducing
properties. Each of these, when added to water (much like the case
covered above) will shift the ORP of the water either upward or downward,
and some will do so drastically. Some substances, such as lithium
hydride, a reducing agent, and sodium metal, also a reducing agent, will
react so violently with water that an explosion occurs. A number
of oxidizing agents, including chlroine (think here of chlorine bleach,
a powerful oxidizer) will also react explosively with water. We have
all seen news stories of chlorine compounds in dry form which were suddenly
wetted, causing fire or explosion.
Absorption of Atmospheric or Other Gases It is a well-known phenomenon in chemistry that perfectly pure distilled water exhibits a pH of about 7.0, or neutral. However, once that water is left exposed to air for a while, it uptakes both oxygen and carbon dioxied, and this, in short order, produces some weak acids in the water, resulting in a lowered pH, perhasp in the 6.0 range. Likewise, the uptake or release of dissolved gases can produce shifts as well in the ORP of water. Generally, the uptake of oxygen or it's more volatile compounds (ozone, for example), will result in a modest increase of ORP, driving it into the oxidizing range. However, the exact results here depend larely upon what minerals, acids, colloidal particles and other substances are presentin the water. A classical case in physical chemistry
is the bubblinf of comon hydrogen gas (H2) through water. Almost
instantly, the ORP of the water may be shifted to the -600 mv. range.
Interestingly, because the hydrogen is almost entirely in the H2 diatomic
form, the water will not exhibit the chemical or biochemical reducing properties
(ready donation of an electron) commonly expected at such an ORP, and indeed,
will not act as a reducing agent.
Off-Gassing of Dissolved Gases Water may abosrb gases from the enviroment
when in the form of surface water (lakes, streams, oceans) or in the form
of standing water (e.g., an open mug, glass, or bottle.) As gases
which have been already dissolved in water, perhaps from human-made environmental
sources (factories, auto exhaust, smoke, etc.) or from nature (volcanoes,
undergound seepage of natural gases such as hydrogen) off-gas to the atmosphere,
the ORP of the water may change. Direction of ORP change will depend
upon the gas and upon other substances present in the water.
Bacterial Activity Bacterial action, by both anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, can significantly change the ORP of a mass of water (underground aquifer, lake, stream, bay) over time, due to biochemical action. Generally, this shift is in the negative direction, toward a lower ORP, but the direction and amount of shift in ORP will depend entirely upon the bacteria present, bacterial foods, other substances present in the water, as well as temperature and other factors. Mixed Microbial Cultures
Containing Phototrophic Organisms
The product I use is called EM microbial Inoculant. This is a generic shorthand name for a powerful microbial culture, also known as Effective Microorganisms or Efficient Microbes (EM)™, which was first evolved in Japan, and refers to a very special and unique microbial inoculant culture which has become known worldwide and has found uses in a number of different fields and areas of human endeavors. It is likely safe to say that the single largest area of EM utility is in farming (agriculture), and even moreso within the realms of organic farming, sustainable farming, eradication of soil-borne and water-borne toxins, grass-fed farming and so-called beyond-organic, uber-organic, super-organic or biological farming. However, EM has also found applications in protecting building materials (wood, plaster, sheetrock, rock, concrete, insulation; architects call EM "building friendly"), waste water treatment, and in many other diverse areas as well. EM consists of about 15 individual speciesof microorganisms, including bacteria, photosynthetic (aka phototropic) organisms and yeast, all in a synergistic and cooperative "community". These organisms belong to any of several families and several genera. The creators of EM have stated many times that all the organisms are fully natural, and are commonly found almost everywhere in nature (but not necessarily in such quantity , balance or relationship as found in EM. If you wish to learn more
about these EM organisms, and their many uses, including preparation of
antioxidant-rich and hydride-ion antioxidant rich probiotic beverages,
please
click here to see an off-site 6-page cluster of web pages on EM created
by the current author.
Effects of Ionizing Radiation Exposure of water in any of it's three
phases (vapor, water or ice) to ionizing radiation will result in dissociation
of water molecules and a shift in ORP. Ionizing radiation, albeit
at relatively low levels, impinges our planet's surface all the time, largely
in the form of cosmic (gamma and charged particles) radiation, and beta
and gamma rays from natural substances present in building material, rocks
and the air (and even foods). Ionizing radiation from human-made
sources (concentrated radioisotopes, X-rays, charged particles) will also
have the same effect. The direction of shift in ORP will depend largely
upon the phase of water (ice, water, etc.), radiation type and intensity,
temperatures, other substances present in the water, whether the water
is exposed to air, and time. It has been postulated by some researchers
that glacial ice which has been stored in glaciers for millenia contains
a large amount of the negative hydrogen ion (in stabilized form) and atomic
hydrogen (again, stabilized) due to irradiation by cosmic rays over thousands
or millions of years.
Water (Usually Vapor) Exposed to Plasma Discharge Water, when exposed to powerful electrical
discharges which produce any kind of plasma discharge (such as corona or
arc), either underwater or via exposure of water vapor in a high-voltage
discharge tube (or the atmosphere, due to lightning), will undergo rather
rapid and dramatic shifts in ORP, due to violent dissociation of some water
molecules and H2 molecules, and the re-forming of new ions and chemical
compounds.
Water (Usually Vapor) Exposed to High Temperatures It has been well-known in physical chemistry
for a long time that water (usually vapor), when exposed to high temperatures
(such as a brillaiintly heated tungsten filament, or a hot piece of metal)
will undergo rapid dissociation, and the ORP of any recovered water may
be rather different than that observed at the start (before exposure).
The Effect of Various "Fields" Magnetic fields , some electric fields, and some so-called "longitudinal" or "scalar" fields can change the ORP and pH of water, some rather rapidly. Both shifts are usually in an upward direction. However, the shift in ORP and pH is often not dramatic or strong. Sometimes, the effect may be increased by moving the water through a gradient electric or magnetic field, or through a field of "longitudinal" or "scalar" energy. It has been rather well-known is certain
circles that a pyramid with the same ratios as used in the great Pyramid
at Giza (so-called "Cheops" or "Khufu" Pyramid), if oriented so that one
wall is perpendicular to magnetic north, will change the ORP and pH of
water moderately and rather quickly. The same effect may be obtained
with any of a number of other geometric shapes and patterns.
Such a "field effect can also affect water clustering, resulting in reduced
surface tension of water.
Water Moving in a Spiral In a phenomenon similar to that claimed
with "Grander Water" and a number of other "special waters" coming out
of Germany and European lore of healing waters, forcing water to move rapidly
(and usually vertically) through a spiral tube can influence ORP and pH,
usually in the upward direction. Such a movement can also affect
water clustering, resulting in reduced surface tension of water.
Water Exposed Directly to Quartz Crystals Water exposed to quartz crystals (no,
they do not need to be "cleaned" or "blessed"!) and certain other crystals
will often show a rather abrupt and sudden shift in clustering properties,
surface tension (decrease) and in ORP and pH (usually upward.) This
is not some kind of "mystical effect" (although they may exist as well),
but, rather, due to certain electrical properties (largely electrostatic)
of quartz crystals at a microscopic level.
Water Exposed to the Non-Contact Influence of a "Healer" Aha! You just knew, when you saw me start to babble about quartz crystals in the section above, that you had finally proven that the author of this piece was a spacey New Age loonie! Then, as you read further, and discovered that I was not talking about any so-called "mystical" properties of quarzt, you were probably dissapointed that there was no proof after all of my craziness. Well, never fear, for the paragraph to follow may again give you definitive proof of my lunacy! Only problem is that the effects mentioned below have been rather well-documented in a number of studies. Here goes... . . A number of studies have shown that
water which has been intentionally "treated" at a distance of a foot to
as much as 3,000 miles, by a "healer", usually a psychic healer, spiritual
healer, or energy healer (such as a Chi Kung [aka Qigong] healer), can
exhibit rather strong shifts in conductivity, pH and ORP ( as well as in
certain other physical properties.) This "treated water" has never
been touched by the healer, and indeed, often the healer's hands (and the
healer's person) have intentionally been kept severl feet or more from
the bottle of water under treatment. Some studies have involved a
bottle or beaker of water in a separate room of rom the healer, or even
at a distance of thousands of miles. Usually the changes in water
clustering, surface tension, dielectric constant, conductivity and pH are
greater than any change in ORP, but this was worth mentioning. A
number of studies have also documented the "creation" of small amounts
of hydrogen peroxide in water treated by certain healers.
Some Comments on the Rumors About Ozone and Reduced Water (Lowering of ORP) I have heard three assertions about ozone bubbling reducing the ORP of water, two of which were anecdotes which were repeated to me verbally, with no evidence offered, and the third a vague reference in an e-mail, again with no proof, evidence, or test results offered. Whenever I have conducted controlled tests in my laboratory, using relatively low-hardness mountain well water (unfiltered, from the tap, conductivity of about 10 micromhos) or commercially-vended distilled water from plastic jugs, the ORP of water has indeed been modulated by ozone bubbling, but only slightly, and in the upward direction, as compared to control bottles. Additionally, the pH of the experimental bottles seems also to have changed slightly, in an upward direction of about 0.1 pH unit to 0.2 units. All tests have been conducted with mountain
well water (or distilled water from commercially-vended jugs), with all
control and experimental batches stored (and/or tested) in 1/2 gallon amber
glass jugs. All ozone has been produced by a relatively strong UV-light
ozone generator, which delivers ozone as an air/ozone gas mixture at low
pressure. This ozone/air mixture (far lower in nitrogen oxides than
ozone from an electrical discharge generator) is then fed thru aquarium-type
plastic tubing to a commercially-vended "air stone", sold for aquarium
use, resulting in a strong stream of fine bubbles. The bubble stone
has always been placed on the bottom of the test jug.
These results make perfect sense, since ozone is a reactive oxygen species,and therefore, an oxidizer. Further, as a highly reactive oxidizer, it gradually spawns other types of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the aqueous solution as well, all of which will gradually raise the oxidative index of the water, and, hence, the ORP. While I do know many ways to modify the ORP of water, both in an upward (oxidizing) and downward (reducing) direction, and only a few of those methods involve electricity or electrolysis, I have never been able to prove that bubbling ozone thru water results in a reduced ORP. The results which have been reported to me anecdotally did not, in any case, reveal whether untreated bottles were used (and tested) as controls (since the ORP of freshly decanted water does shift over time, and in response to environmental influences) , or what type of water was used, nor the source. However, I can definitely think of several instances in which the ORP of water would be reduced significantly by ozonation, particularly if one waited about 3 to 5 days after treatment before testing ORP. In each case, the "original" water would need to have present either:
Relative Hydrogen Score, aka rH Score,
an Absolute
For a brief tutorial on the Relative Hydrogen Score, or rH score, please see the on-site page devoted to that topic! rH score is an absolute measure of hydrogen reducing power (and of oxidizing power) which is independent of changes in pH, and which is calculated from measures of ORP and pH. |
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| If you want to get even more in-depth
information on ERW and making it, especially in home-brew devices, than
this page offers, I recommend first finishing this page, and then going
to the page entitled Some Thoughts and
Observations on Production of H-minus Ion Enriched-Water by Electrolysis
Return
to the Negative Hydrogen Ion Main Page at the Negative Hydrogen Ion
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