How does impure water conduct electricity?

Answer 1

If by "purified" you mean distilled, then no. It will not conduct electricity. Some bottled water companies define filtered water or spring water as "pure," but that does not mean purified. Distilled water is water that has everything but water removed.

Answer 2

Everything is relative, so yes, distilled will conduct electricity--but very very little compared to city water, well water, or salt water. The reason is that the way a liquid conducts electricity is by the positively or negatively charged ions that are in it actually moving from one of the electrodes to the other, carrying charge (electricity) with them. Salt water has salt in it, NaCl, which readily ionizes or dissociates to ions of Na+ and Cl- which can float through the water carrying charge and thus conducting electricity.

Distilled water is water that was boiled to steam and recondensed to water. Virtually all the salt that was originally in it is left behind as the pure water boils away. So distilled water is relatively pure H2O (HOH). Although water can ionize to H+ and OH- sort of like salt does, it ionizes to a far, far, far, lesser degree and is therefore very resistant to conducting electricity; there are virtually no ions available to carry charges through the water.

Answer 3

Impure water conducts electricity because it contains dissolved ions and impurities that can carry electric current. These ions enable the flow of electrons, allowing the water to become a conductor of electricity.

Answer 4

De-ionized water will not conduct electricity, nor will distilled. Filtered water may conduct, it depends on the quality of water being filtered and the type of filter being used.