Author Topic: Myth of pH 10 Colloidal Silver  (Read 4741 times)

Offline kephra

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Myth of pH 10 Colloidal Silver
« on: October 25, 2013, 04:42:29 PM »

pH 10 Colloidal Silver?

Reprinted from the cgcsforum blog.

Some people are under the misconception that colloidal silver generators can produce alkaline water of pH 10. One colloidal silver Generator maker makes this claim.   This is absolutely false. It is however possible to produce colloidal silver which reads pH 10 on an electronic pH meter. This is because standard electronic pH meters have silver based probes which do not read correctly in solutions containing silver, gold, and most transition metals.

From the pH Meter Guide at http://delloyd.50megs.com/moreinfo/ph.html
Quote
    Since standard electrodes contain silver in the reference solution within the electrode, there are numerous applications where this kind of electrode can’t be used. The subsequent solutions cannot be measured with general purpose electrodes.

    Heavy metals including silver, iron and lead
    Proteins
    Organics such as acetone
    Low ion solutions such as distilled water
    High sodium concentrations such as solutions containing large amounts of salts
    Sulfides

The type of electrode supplied with most pH meters is the silver electrode.

The true pH of the colloidal silver solution can be determined by using the correct pH meter electrodes, called Calomel electrodes. Calomel electrodes are based on mercury instead of silver, so silver in the solution does not interfere and produce a false reading. pH can also be measured by titration with a known acid or base, and it can also be verified with Hydrion pH test paper, which is also not affected by metal ions in the water.

A knowledge of general chemistry and the periodic chart of the elements should also make it clear that silver solutions cannot be pH 10 unless there is sufficient sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, or other elements present from columns one or two of the periodic chart (except hydrogen). Elements from column one of the periodic table are called alkali metals (except hydrogen itself) because they react with water to form hydroxides. Elements from column 2 are called alkaline earth metals and also form hydroxides in water. Of these elements, only sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are friendly to the human body. Beryllium for example is very toxic.

Pure water has a pH close to 7 because a portion of the water ionizes creating 10-7 moles of H+ ions and 10-7 moles of OH- ions per liter of water. The 7 comes from the mathematical operation of taking the logarithm of 10-7 which is -7 and multiplying that by -1 giving 7. The 'p' in pH means 'negative logarithm'  so pH means 'negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration'.

To make water more acid, there must be more H+ ions than OH- ions. To make water more alkaline, there must be more OH- ions than H+ ions. At pH 8, there is 10-8 moles of H+ ions, and 10-6 moles of OH- ions per liter. The exponents always add up to -14.

Where do the extra OH- ions come from? They come from the alkali or alkaline earth hydroxides. That is why only these elements can raise the pH of the water to any extent.

Silver does not form hydroxides with water. During electrolysis, silver hydroxide is formed at the anode, but quickly decomposes into silver oxide, which is not an alkaline substance.  As soon as 2 silver hydroxide molecules meet up with each other, they form one silver oxide molecule and one water molecule.  The net effect is that no significant amount of  hydroxide ions remain.

At pH 10 (which is pOH 4), there must be 1 million times as many OH- ions as there are H+ ions.  (10-4/10-10)

Anyone claiming that their colloidal silver equipment produces ph 10 alkaline water is proving their ignorance of basic chemistry.

Starting with distilled water with a milliliter of 1 molar sodium carbonate per liter of water, the pH measures approximately 8.5.  Never is the pH anywhere near a true value of 10.

Be aware that solutions containing silver can permanently damage a pH electrode by plating onto the glass bulb and blocking the pores which allow the hydrogen ions to permeate the glass.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2016, 12:34:29 PM by kephra »
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