At 08:29 PM 11/1/95 +0100, you wrote:
>Help!!!! since 1969 I have been teaching that water as H2O with a pH of 7
>does not conduct electricity. I now have to rethink all of those stupid
>demo with hands (mine) in pure water and Turing on the current. Am I dead
>now, and I am really not getting mail about concrete and batteries. I bet
>Ray did not really come up with that super duper answer about the battery.
>Help am I alive or not??
Your are absolutely correct. However....
Pure distilled, dionized water is a very poor buffer. It's pH is very
easily shifted with just the slightest bit of contaminant. If you are
referring to condensation, I don't know about your batteries, but the tops
of mine are probably very rich in contaminates that would turn "pure" water
very acid, very quickly making it a lovely conductor of electricity. If you
are referring to moisture in the air (non-condensed), you might consider the
unfortunate by-product of our society today, acid rain. It is quite likely
that if you sampled the moisture in the air around us, you would find that
it contains all kinds of stuff that will shift it's pH. Kind of makes you
want to hold your breath.
All that said, I still don't believe that this has anything to do with
batteries loosing their charge sitting on a concrete floor, but it is
feasible. I agree with whoever suggested applying for a federal grant to
study the problem.
Edward B. (Ted) Weiler, TWeiler@Eskimo.com, www.eskimo.com/~tweiler
Director, Volunteers NorthWest, vnw@aol.com,www.eskimo.com~tweiler/vnw.html
Membership, MG Car Club NorthWest Centre
mgccnwc@aol.com, www.eskimo.com/~tweiler/mgccnwc.html
|