Do campden tablets de-chlorinate water

[Judge]

A little chemistry help here please...

The aquarium dechlorinator I use, Sodium thiosulfate, is Na2S2O3.
Campden tablets are sodium metabisulfate which is Na2S2O5.

How much difference do two oxygen atoms make?

The link provided by mvolz says the two are "closely related compounds...in terms of usage".

 

[kal]

The aquarium dechlorinator I use, Sodium thiosulfate, is Na2S2O3.
Campden tablets are sodium metabisulfate which is Na2S2O5.

How much difference do two oxygen atoms make?

I have no idea about the example cited here, but it's important to remember that subtle differences can take something from harmless to poisonous.

For example, Carbon Dioxide is CO2 and Carbon Monoxide with one less oyxgen atom is CO. CO is harmful while CO2 isn't. The only difference is one oxygen molecule.

Kal

 

[Judge]

I have no idea about the example cited here, but it's important to remember that subtle differences can take something from harmless to poisonous.

For example, Carbon Dioxide is CO2 and Carbon Monoxide with one less oyxgen atom is CO. CO is harmful while CO2 isn't. The only difference is one oxygen molecule.

Kal

That's exactly why I'm asking.

 

[rfavors]

Another thing to keep in my mind is that many of the aquarium conditioners also contain oils (I think aloe vera) to coat and aid the fish. Not sure what affect this would have on the beer - possibly hurt head retention. If you have used it and not seen a problem then must be too small an amount to cause trouble.

 

[Judge]

Another thing to keep in my mind is that many of the aquarium conditioners also contain oils (I think aloe vera) to coat and aid the fish. Not sure what affect this would have on the beer - possibly hurt head retention. If you have used it and not seen a problem then must be too small an amount to cause trouble.

Yes, some water conditioner products do contain "slime coat" substances but not the one I use.
I haven't grown a third eye or started pissing blood and the beer has always been fine, but the folks sounding the alarm have gotten me curious.
I also wonder what the big-name breweries use to dechlorinate their water.

 

[doctorRobert]

A little chemistry help here please...

The aquarium dechlorinator I use, Sodium thiosulfate, is Na2S2O3.
Campden tablets are sodium metabisulfate which is Na2S2O5.

How much difference do two oxygen atoms make?

The link provided by mvolz says the two are "closely related compounds...in terms of usage".

It's not the answer you want, but there so cheap just buy the homebrew shop ones.

 

[bob1852]

I have no idea about the example cited here, but it's important to remember that subtle differences can take something from harmless to poisonous.

For example, Carbon Dioxide is CO2 and Carbon Monoxide with one less oyxgen atom is CO. CO is harmful while CO2 isn't. The only difference is one oxygen molecule.

Kal

CO2 isn't harmful? Have you tried breathing that instead of O2?

Another example is O2 and ozone (O3)....

It's not the answer you want, but there so cheap just buy the homebrew shop ones.

agreed.

 

[kal]

CO2 isn't harmful? Have you tried breathing that instead of O2?

Good point.

Semantics, but from what I understand, C02 isn't actually harmful to us (we breath it out all the time and consequently also breath in a bunch too)... If you don't get enough O2, then harmful to us. (CO on the other hard is actually harmful to breath even if we get enough O2).

Kal

 

[Sithdad]

Good point.

Semantics, but from what I understand, C02 isn't actually harmful to us (we breath it out all the time and consequently also breath in a bunch too)... If you don't get enough O2, then harmful to us. (CO on the other hard is actually harmful to breath even if we get enough O2).

Kal

Actually, receptors in our blood vessels monitor the CO2 levels and report back to the brain. It's the blood CO2 levels that drive our need to breath.

If I remember high school chemistry correctly O3 (ozone) is unstable because it has a free electron. It wants to be even. So, it looks to pick up an extra oxygen molecule (because it's easier than splitting one off to make itself O2).

How the aquarium tablets work is beyond me.

 

[sjwelna]

You don't even need to let it sit for a while. According to Palmer, the reaction between the campden tablet and chlorine/chloramine is nearly instantaneous. I just crush up the tablet between two spoons and dissolve it in my brew water as it is heating. Easy and works great.

This is what I've been doing for a while now. You instantly notice a difference. I fill my primary with water to use for brewing and just pitch about a half a camden tablet into the bucket and let it sit for a few minutes before heating it up. The water smells like a pool before you add it and smells much better after, no hint of chlorine to my nose at least. Works great.

Good point.

Semantics, but from what I understand, C02 isn't actually harmful to us (we breath it out all the time and consequently also breath in a bunch too)... If you don't get enough O2, then harmful to us. (CO on the other hard is actually harmful to breath even if we get enough O2).
Kal

The reason Carbon Monoxide is so dangerous is because it has a MUCH higher affinity to hemoglobin in your bloodstream than oxygen. Crash course in biochemistry: Hemoglobin transports oxygen throughout your body, and if it is carrying CO instead of O2, you basically suffocate because of lack of oxygen getting to the cells that require it. CO2 will just lower the pH of your blood as it comes into solution forming bicarbonate ions. When your blood pH drops from too much CO2 (think aerobic exercise), it causes a lowering affinity for hemoglobin to O2 in an attempt to stabilize the pH, thus depositing O2 where it needs to be.

-Steve

 

[Rip]

So um...what's in that bottle of DeChlor beside the Na2S2O3? That's the only point I wanted to make. All kinds of crap could be contaminating the thiosulfate compound and nobody would care, especially the fish. Well, I guess the dude that grows a 3rd eye and 23 extra testicles might care. lol.
Won't be me.

- M

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

aquarium stuff is not going to be regulated to be food grade, so it can contain anything else as long as they don't think it hurts fish enough to be noticeable. Also I wouldn't want to be directly drinking EDTA all the time. it's shown toxicity in animal tests. a bag of K meta is really cheap.

I bet recommendations to let K meta sit in the water for a day first stem from the use to "sanitize" grape juice before adding yeast. you add a very high level to inhibit anything already in the juice, and let the SO2 degass to reasonable level for yeast before pitching

 

[AndyReynolds]

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/removing_chloramines_from_water