DIY science experiment for school goers: Making distilled water at home
Distilled water, also called purified water, is produced by condensing water vapour or steam from impure water like well water, tap water, sea water, snow, streams, plants and even damp rock. Water is primarily distilled to use it for drinking purposes. In fact, there are several easy DIY methods to make distilled water that youngsters can try out as part of their science experiment at home.
Two common methods of water distillation involve boiling water and collecting the steam. As the steam cools, it is transformed into distilled water and natural evaporation of water. Here, the water doesn't boil, instead, change in temperature or pressure forms water vapour, which is then cooled to form distilled water. Here are two DIY experiments school students can try out to derive distilled water. Help your child to carry out these fun activities.
Collecting distilled water from a plant or mud
Encourage your youngster to carry out this experiment. Remember that it is a time- consuming process and your little learner has to be patient throughout.
What you’ll need
- Green plants
- Plastic wrap
- A clean container
- Small rocks
Step-by-step guide
- On a sunny day, dig a hole in the ground.
- Place the container at the center of the hole’s bottom and keep it ready to collect the distilled water.
- Next, pile up 5 to 6 damp plants in the hole around the container.
- Now, cover the hole with the plastic wrap properly. Use the rocks to secure the gaps. The goal is to seal the plastic so that the moisture is unable to escape.
- After the setup is done, the greenhouse effect will make sure to trap the heat inside the plastic, helping in evaporation of the water present in the plants.
- Finally, put a pebble at the middle of the plastic wrap in order to make a small depression. Now, as the water automatically evaporates, the steam will condense on the plastic and fall into the depression and gradually drip into the container.
Making distilled water with the help of a stove or grill
Making distilled water with the help of a source of fire like a stove or a grill is a pretty common DIY method. In fact, this is a faster technique of water distillation.
What you’ll need
- A large aluminium pot
- A rounded lid for the pot
- A glass or metal bowl that can float inside the pot
- Ice cubes
- Hot pads
Step-by-step guide
- Take the aluminium pot and fill it half with water.
- Now place the glass or metal bowl inside the pot. The goal is to extract water that will drip down the center of the lid. An important thing to note here is that the size of the bowl should be such that the distilled water that has been collected do not drip back into the main pot.
- Now, place the pot lid in an inverted position. Now place the pot on a grill or a stove and let the water heat up. The goal is to get the water very hot but not let it boil.
- As the water vapour rises up to the lid, put ice cubes near the lid of the pot to condense it into droplets and fall into the collection bowl. The cold will help to condense the steam in the pot into liquid water.
- Once the entire process is complete, turn off the heat of the stove/grill and carefully remove the bowl of distilled water.