Water, The chemistry of life.
Whenever
we attempt to determine whether there is life as we know it on Mars or
other planets, scientists first seek to establish whether or not water
is present. Why? Because
life on earth totally depends on water.
A High
percentage of living things, both plant and animal are found in water.
All life on earth is thought to have arisen from water. The bodies of
all living organisms are
composed largely of water. About 70 to 90 percent of all organic matter
is water.
The chemical reactions in all plants and animals that support life take place in a water medium
.
Water
not only provides the medium to make these life sustaining reactions
possible, but water itself is often an important reactant or product of
these reactions. In short, the chemistry of life is water chemistry.
Water, the universal solvent
Water is a
universal, superb solvent due to the marked polarity of the water
molecule and its tendency to form hydrogen bonds with other molecules.
One water molecule, expressed with the chemical symbol H
2
O, consists of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.
Standing
alone, the hydrogen atom contains one positive proton at its core with
one negative electron revolving around it in a three-dimensional shell.
Oxygen, on the other hand, contains 8 protons in its nucleus with 8
electrons revolving around it. This is often shown in chemical notation
as the letter O surrounded by eight dots representing 4 sets of paired
electrons.
The
single hydrogen electron and the 8 electrons of oxygen are the key to
the chemistry of life because this is where hydrogen and oxygen atoms
combine to form a water
molecule, or split to form ions.
Hydrogen
tends to ionize by losing its single electron and form single H+ ions,
which are simply isolated protons since the hydrogen atom contains no
neutrons. A hydrogen bond
occurs when the electron of a single hydrogen atom is shared with
another electronegative atom such as oxygen that lacks an electron.
Polarity of water molecules
In a water
molecule, two hydrogen atoms are covalently bonded to the oxygen atom.
But because the oxygen atom is larger than the hydrogen's, its
attraction for the hydrogen's
electrons is correspondingly greater so the electrons are drawn closer
into the shell of the larger oxygen atom and away from the hydrogen
shells. This means that although the water molecule as a whole is
stable, the greater mass of the
oxygen nucleus tends to draw in all the electrons in the molecule
including the shared hydrogen electrons giving the oxygen portion of
the molecule a slight electronegative charge.
The
shells of the hydrogen atoms, because their electrons are closer to the
oxygen, take on a small electropositive charge. This means water
molecules have a tendency to form weak bonds with water molecules
because the oxygen end of the molecule is negative and the hydrogen
ends are positive.
A
hydrogen atom, while remaining covalently bonded to the oxygen of its
own molecule, can form a weak bond with the oxygen of another molecule.
Similarly, the oxygen end of a
molecule can form a weak attachment with the hydrogen ends of other
molecules. Because water molecules have this polarity, water is a
continuous chemical entity.
These weak
bonds play a crucial role in stabilizing the shape of many of the large
molecules found in living matter. Because these bonds are weak, they
are readily broken and
re-formed during normal physiological reactions. The disassembly and
re-arrangement of such weak bonds is in essence the chemistry of life.
To
illustrate water's ability to break down other substances, consider the
simple example of putting a small amount of table salt in a glass of
tap water. With dry salt (NaCl) the attraction between the
electropositive sodium (Na+) and electronegative chlorine (Cl-) atoms
of salt is very strong until it is placed in water. After salt is
placed in water, the attraction of the electronegative oxygen of the
water molecule for the positively charged sodium ions, and the similar
attraction of the electropositive hydrogen ends of the water molecule
for the negatively charged chloride ions, are greater than the mutual
attraction between the outnumbered Na+ and Cl- ions. In water the ionic
bonds of the sodium chloride molecule are broken easily because of the
competitive action of the numerous water molecules.
As we can
see from this simple example, even the delicate configuration of
individual water molecules enables them to break relatively stronger
bonds by converging on them. This is why we call water the universal
solvent. It is a natural solution that breaks the bonds of larger, more
complex molecules. This is the chemistry of life on earth, in water and
on land.
Oxidation-reduction reactions
Basically,
reduction means the addition of an electron (e-), and its converse,
oxidation means the removal of an electron. The addition of an
electron, reduction, stores energy in the reduced compound. The removal
of an electron, oxidation, liberates energy from the oxidized compound.
Whenever one substance is reduced, another is oxidized.
To clarify these terms, consider any two molecules, A and B, for example.
When molecules A and B come into contact, here is what happens:
B grabs an electron from molecule A.
Molecule A has been oxidized because it has lost an electron.
The net charge of B has been reduced because it has gained a negative electron (e-).
In
biological systems, removal or addition of an electron constitutes the
most frequent mechanism of oxidation-reduction reactions. These
oxidation-reduction reactions
are frequently called redox reactions.
Acids and Bases
An acid is
a substance that increases the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in
water. A base is a substance that decreases the concentration of
hydrogen ions, in other words,
increasing the concentration of hydroxide ions OH-.
The degree
of acidity or alkalinity of a solution is measured in terms of a value
known as pH, which is the negative logarithm of the concentration of
hydrogen ions:
pH = 1/log[H+] = -log[H+]
What is pH?
On the pH
scale, which ranges from 0 on the acidic end to 14 on the alkaline end,
a solution is neutral if its pH is 7. At pH 7, water contains equal
concentrations of H+ and OH- ions. Substances with a pH less than 7 are
acidic because they contain a higher concentration of H+ ions.
Substances with a pH higher than 7 are alkaline because they contain a
higher concentration of OH- than H+. The pH scale is a log scale so a
change of one pH unit means a tenfold change in the concentration of
hydrogen ions.
Importance of balancing pH
Living
things are extremely sensitive to pH and function best (with certain
exceptions, such as certain portions of the digestive tract) when
solutions are nearly neutral. Most
interior living matter (excluding the cell nucleus) has a pH of about
6.8.
Blood plasma
and other fluids that surround the cells in the body have a pH of 7.2
to 7.3. Numerous special mechanisms aid in stabilizing these fluids so
that cells will not be
subject to appreciable fluctuations in pH. Substances which serve as
mechanisms to stabilize pH are called buffers. Buffers have the
capacity to bond ions and remove them from solution whenever their
concentration begins to rise.
Conversely, buffers can release ions whenever their concentration
begins to fall. Buffers thus help to minimize the fluctuations in pH.
This is an important function because many biochemical reactions
normally occurring in living
organisms either release or use up ions.
NOTE: Dr. Hayashi is a Heart Specialist and Director of the Water Institute of Japan.
Oxygen: Too much of a good thing?
Oxygen is
essential to survival. It is relatively stable in the air, but when too
much is absorbed into the body it can become active and unstable and
has a tendency to attach itself
to any biological molecule, including molecules of healthy cells. The
chemical activity of these free radicals is due to one or more pairs of
unpaired electrons.
About 2%
of the oxygen we normally breathe becomes active oxygen, and this
amount increases to approximately 20% with aerobic exercise.
Such
free radicals with unpaired electrons are unstable and have a high
oxidation potential, which means they are capable of stealing electrons
from other cells. This chemical mechanism is very useful in
disinfectants such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone which can be used to
sterilize wounds or medical instruments. Inside the body these free
radicals are of great benefit due to their ability to attack and
eliminate bacteria, viruses and other waste products.
Active Oxygen in the body
Problems
arise, however, when too many of these free radicals are turned loose
in the body where they can also damage normal tissue.
Putrefaction
sets in when microbes in the air invade the proteins, peptides, and
amino acids of eggs, fish and meat. The result is an array of
unpleasant substances such as:
Hydrogen sulfide
Ammonia
Histamines
Indoles
Phenols
Scatoles
These
substances are also produced naturally in the digestive tract when we
digest food, resulting in the unpleasant odor evidenced in feces.
Putrefaction of spoiled food is caused by microbes in the air; this
natural process is duplicated in the digestive tract by intestinal
microbes. All these waste products of digestion are pathogenic, that
is, they can cause disease in the body.
Hydrogen
sulfide and ammonia are tissue toxins that can damage the liver.
Histamines contribute to allergic disorders such as atopic dermatitis,
urticaria (hives) and asthma. Indoles and phenols are considered
carcinogenic.
Because
waste products such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, histamines, phenols
and indoles are toxic, the body's defense mechanisms try to eliminate
them by releasing neutrophils (a type of leukocyte, or white
corpuscle). These neutrophils produce active oxygen, oddball oxygen
molecules that are capable of scavenging disintegrating tissues by
gathering electrons from the molecules of toxic cells.
Problems
arise, however, when too many of these active oxygen molecules, or free
radicals, are produced in the body. They are extremely reactive and can
also attach themselves
to normal, healthy cells and damage them genetically. These active
oxygen radicals steal electrons from normal, healthy biological
molecules. This electron theft by active oxygen oxidizes tissue and can
cause disease.
Because
active oxygen can damage normal tissue, it is essential to scavenge
this active oxygen from the body before it can cause disintegration of
healthy tissue. If we can find an
effective method to block the oxidation of healthy tissue by active
oxygen, then we can attempt to prevent disease.
Antioxidants block dangerous oxidation
One way to
protect healthy tissue from the ravages of oxidation caused by active
oxygen is to provide free electrons to active oxygen radicals, thus
neutralizing their high
oxidation potential and preventing them from reacting with healthy
tissue.
Research
on the link between diet and cancer is far from complete, but some
evidence indicates that what we eat may affect our susceptibility to
cancer. Some foods seem to help
defend against cancer, others appear to promote it.
Much of
the damage caused by carcinogenic substances in food may come about
because of an oxidation reaction in the cell. In this process, an
oddball oxygen molecule may damage the genetic code of the cell. Some
researchers believe that substances that prevent oxidation -- called
ANTIOXIDANTS -- can block the damage. This leads naturally to the
theory that the intake of natural antioxidants could be an important
aspect of the body's defense against cancer. Substances that some
believe inhibit cancer include vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene,
selenium, and gluthione (an amino acid). These substances are reducing
agents. They supply electrons to free radicals and block the
interaction of the free radical with normal tissue.
How we can avoid illness
As we
mentioned earlier, the presence of toxic waste products such as
hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, histamines, indoles, phenols and scatoles
impart an offensive odor to human
feces. In the medical profession, it is well known that patients
suffering from hepatitis and cirrhosis pass particularly odoriferous
stools.
Excessively
offensive stools caused by the presence of toxins are indicators of
certain diseases, and the body responds to the presence of these toxins
by producing neutrophil
leukocytes to release active oxygen in an attempt to neutralize the
damage to organs that can be caused by such waste products. But when an
excess amount of such active oxygen is produced, it can damage healthy
cells as well as
neutralize toxins. This leads us to the conclusion that we can minimize
the harmful effect of these active oxygen radicals by reducing them
with an ample supply of electrons.
Water, the natural solution
There is
no substitute for a healthy balanced diet, especially rich in
antioxidant materials such as vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and
other foods that are good for us. However, these substances are not the
best source of free electrons that can block the oxidation of healthy
tissue by active oxygen.
Water
treated by electrolysis to increase its reduction potential is the best
solution to the problem of providing a safe source of free electrons to
block the oxidation of
normal tissue by free oxygen radicals. We believe that reduced water,
water with an excess of free electrons to donate to active oxygen, is
the best solution because:
The reduction potential of water can be dramatically increased over other antioxidants in food or vitamin supplements.
The molecule
weight of reduced water is low, making it fast acting and able to reach
all tissues of the body in a very short time.
What is Ionized Water?
Ionized
water is the product of mild electrolysis which takes place in the
ionized water unit. The production of ionized water, its properties,
and how it works in the human body are described in the next section.
Ionized water is treated tap water that has not only been filtered, but
has also been reformed in that it provides reduced water with a large
mass of electrons that can be donated to active oxygen in the body to
block the oxidation of normal cells.
THE IONIZED WATER UNIT
Tap water: What it is and isn't
Normal tap
water, for example, with a pH of 7 is approximately neutral on the pH
scale of 0 to 14. When measured with an ORP (oxidation potential) meter
its redox potential is approximately +400 to +500 mV. Because it has a
positive redox potential, it is apt to acquire electrons and oxidize
other molecules. Reduced Ionized Water, on the other hand, has a
negative redox potential of approximately -250 to -350 mV. This means
it has a large mass of electrons ready to donate to electron-thieving
active oxygen.
Before
discussing the properties of Ionized Water further, let's take a look
at what happens inside an Ionized Water producing unit.
How an IONIZED WATER Unit works
The
Ionized Water unit, slightly taller and thicker than a large dictionary
on end, is an electrical appliance connected to your kitchen water
supply to perform electrolysis on tap water before you drink it or use
it in the kitchen for cooking or cleaning.
A special
attachment re-directs tap water out of the faucet through a plastic
hose into the Ionized Water unit. Inside the Ionized Water unit, the
water is first filtered through
activated charcoal. Next, the filtered water passes into an
electrolysis chamber equipped with a platinum-coated titanium electrode
where electrolysis takes place.
Cations,
positive ions, gather at the negative electrodes to create cathodic
water (reduced water). Anions, negatively charged ions, gather at the
positive electrode to make anodic water (oxidized water).
Through electrolysis, reduced water not only gains an excess amount of electrons (e-), but the cluster of H
2
O seem to be reduced in size from about 10 to 13 molecules per cluster to 5 to 6 molecules per cluster.
The
reduced water comes out of the faucet, and the oxidized water comes out
of a separate hose leading into the sink. You can use the reduced water
for drinking or cooking. The
oxidation potential of the oxidized water makes it a good sterilizing
agent, ideal for washing hands, cleaning food or kitchen utensils, and
treating minor wounds.
What the IONIZED WATER Unit Produces
Redox potential comparison
After
electrolysis of the water inside the Ionized Water unit, reduced water
comes out of the cathodic side and oxidized water comes out of the
anodic side. Compare these measurements of these three types of water:
tap water before electrolysis, the reduced water, and the oxidized
water.
Redox potential, not pH, is the crucial factor
Traditionally
we have judged the properties of water from the standpoint of pH, in
other words whether water is acidic or alkaline. According to Dr.
Yoshiaki Matsuo PhD., the inventor of the Ionized Water unit, "
In
my opinion, redox potential is more important than pH. The importance
of pH is over emphasized. For example, the average pH of blood is 7.4
and acidosis or
alkalosis are defined according to deviation within the range of 7.4 +-
0.005. But nothing has been discussed about ORP, or oxidation-reduction
potential."
The pH of
tap water is about pH 7, or neutral. When tap water is electrolyzed
into Ionized Water, its reduced water has a pH of about 9 and the
oxidized water a pH of about 4. Even if you make alkaline water of pH 9
by adding sodium hydroxide or make acidic water of pH 3 by adding
hydrogen chloride, you will find very little change in the ORP values
of the two waters. On the other hand, when you divide tap water with
electrolysis you can see the ORP fluctuate by as much as +- 1,000 mV.
By electrolysis we can obtain reduced water with negative potential
that is good for the body.
USING IONIZED WATER
What IONIZED WATER Does
The Ionized
Water unit produces two kinds of water with different redox potentials,
one with a high reduction potential and the other with a high oxidation
potential.
Reduced Water
When taken
internally, the reduced Ionized Water with its redox potential of -250
to -350 mV readily donates its electrons to oddball oxygen radicals and
blocks the interaction of the active oxygen with normal molecules.
A biological molecule (BM) remains intact and undamaged.
Undamaged
biological molecules are less susceptible to infection and disease.
Ionized Water gives up an extra electron and reduces the active oxygen
(AO), thus rendering it
harmless. The AO is reduced without damaging surrounding biological
molecules. Substances which have the ability to counteract active
oxygen by supplying electrons are called scavengers. Reduced water,
therefore, can be called
scavenging water.
When taken
internally, the effects of reduced water are immediate. Ionized Water
inhibits excessive fermentation in the digestive tract by reducing
indirectly metabolites such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, histamines,
indoles, phenols and scatoles, resulting in a cleaner stool within days
after reduced water is taken on a regular basis.
In 1965,
the Ministry of Welfare of Japan announced that reduced water obtained
from electrolysis can prevent abnormal fermentation of intestinal
microbes.
Oxidized Water
Oxidized
water with its redox potential of +700 to +800 mV is an oxidizing agent
that can withdraw electrons from bacteria and kill them. The oxidized
water from the Ionized Water
unit can be used to clean hands, kitchen utensils, fresh vegetables and
fruits, and to sterilize cutting boards and minor wounds. Tests have
shown that oxidized water can be used effectively to treat athlete's
foot, minor burns, insect
bites, scratches, and so on.
Dr.
Yoshiaki Matsuo, Vice Director of the Water Institute of Japan, has
developed another apparatus capable of producing hyperoxidized water
with a redox potential of +1,050 mV or more, and a pH lower than 2.7.
Tests have shown that this hyper oxidized water can quickly destroy
MRSA (Methecillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).
Although
hyperoxidized water is a powerful sterilizing agent, it won't harm the
skin. In fact, it can be used to heal. Hyperoxidized water has proven
effective in Japanese hospitals in the treatment of bedsores and
operative wounds with complicated infections.
But
perhaps the most exciting future application of hyperoxidized water is
in the field of agriculture where it has been used effectively on
plants to kill fungi and other
plant diseases. Hyperoxidized water is non-toxic, so agricultural
workers can apply it without wearing special protective equipment
because there is no danger of skin or respiratory damage. An added
benefit of using hyperoxidized water to spray plants is that there is
no danger to the environment caused by the accumulation of toxic
chemicals in the ground.
Ionized Water superior to antioxidant diet
Today we
read much about correct dieting principles and paying attention to what
we eat in order to stay healthy. This is a sensible practice, but it is
surprising that many of us don't realize that the bulk of what eat is
composed of water. Vegetables and fruits are 90% water; fish and meat
are about 70% water as well.
Even
advocates of the importance of vitamin C in diet staples have to admit
that its potency, namely, the redox potential of this important
vitamin, rapidly diminishes with age and preparation for the dining
table. Carbohydrates, the main consistent of vegetables and fruit, has
a molecular weight of 180 whereas water has a much lower molecular
weight of 18.
Ionized
Water, with its low molecular weight and high reduction potential,
makes it a superior scavenging agent of active oxygen. But electrolysis
inside the Ionized Water unit not only charges the reduced water with
electrons, it also reduces the size of reduced water molecule clusters.
NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) analysis reveals that tap water and well water consists of clusters of 10 to 13 H
2
0 molecules.
Electrolysis of water in the Ionized Water unit reduces these clusters
to about half their normal size -- 5 to 6 water molecules per cluster.
As the
graph shows, the NMR signal that measures cluster size by line width at
half-amplitude shows 65 Hz for reduced water and 133 Hz for tap water,
revealing that the reduced water clusters are approximately half the
size of tap water clusters.
This is
why Ionized Water is more readily absorbed by the body than untreated
tap water. Ionized Water quickly permeates the body and blocks the
oxidation of biological
molecules by donating its abundant electrons to active oxygen, enabling
biological molecules to replace themselves naturally without damage
caused by oxidation that can cause diseases.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Upstream and downstream theory
Prevent disease at the source
According
to Dr. Hidemitsu Hayashi, Director of the Water Institute of Japan, "To
eliminate the pollutants in a large stream that is contaminated at its
source, we must
work on the problems upstream at the headwaters -- the source of the
pollution -- not downstream where we can only try to treat the evidence
of damage caused by the pollution. Ionized Water's contribution to
preventive medicine is
essentially upstream treatment."
Upstream
According
to our model, we consider the digestive tract upstream where we intake
water and food. Although many people today in developed countries are
growing more skeptical
about what they eat, they tend to concentrate more on what the food
contains rather than the metabolized products of foods in the digestive
tract.
Upstream
For
example, consider the typical balanced diet of meat and vegetables.
Meat protein is metabolized into amines while nitrates from fertilizers
used to grow vegetables metabolize into nitrites in the digestive
tract. These amines and nitrites combine to form nitrosamine, a
recognized carcinogen.
We've
already discussed that odoriferous feces are evidence of excessive
fermentation in the digestive tract, so reduced water performs a very
important function upstream in the
digestive tract by reducing this excessive fermentation as evidenced by
cleaner stools within days of starting a steady regimen of reduced
water.
Downstream
Downstream
Downstream
from the digestive tract, starting at the liver, reduced water quickly
enters the liver and other organs due to, first, its lower molecular
weight, and, secondly, the
size of its clusters. At tissue sites throughout the body, reduced
water with its safe, yet potent reduction potential readily donates its
passenger electrons freely to active oxygen and neutralizes them so
they cannot damage the molecules
of healthy cells. Normal cells are protected from the electron thievery
of active oxygen and allowed to grow, mature, function and regenerate
without interference from rogue, oddball oxygen radicals which tend to
steal the
electrons from the molecules of normal, healthy biological molecules.
The water boom
We are now
in the midst of a water boom. In Japan and other countries consumers
are buying various kinds of bottled and canned water even though water
is one of our most abundant vital resources. Research data reveals that
mineral waters have an ORP of +200 mV, slightly lower than the +400 mV
measured for ordinary tap water. We can say that at least mineral water
is marginally better than tap water from the viewpoint of ORP. Compared
to any processed water for sale, however, Ionized Water with its
reduction potential of -250 to -300 mV is beyond comparison due to its
ability to scavenge active oxygen radicals.
The statements
enclosed herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration. The products mentioned on this site are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information and
statements made are for education purposes and are not intended to
replace the advice of your family doctor.
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