New topic to which I will move the existing discussion, which is taking place in another topic.
I created a new topic as I couldn't see a natural post to use in the parent topic to use as the start.
Deionised water is a very corrosive liquid. Unless what you are putting it in is built to withstand it then you can cause a lot of damage. That means mainly stainless steel, or silicon based plastics.
Some people mix up Deionised water with distilled water, a disaster when filling up your laser cooling system.
And you can't blame them, do a internet search and it's all over the place.
https://www.chemicals.co.uk/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-distilled-water-and-deionised-water
clears up some of that confusion.
Why? It's not an acid or a base.
Because, the removal of ions make it very reactive.
Appears to be AI slop. There is quite a lot of misinformation about water, mostly generated by people selling water related products. Pure water is either "good" or "bad" depending on what product they are selling.
Either way, the idea that DI water is "highly corrosive" or even quite corrosive is basically a myth.
So ask yourself why this is? Clearly you are wrong if you have ever looked at the detailed comments on corrosion.
Either way, I am not a chemist, but I am a Physicist and I know what a corrosive effects it can cause, with the missing ions being so "keen" to be complete, to anthropomorphize an effect.
That is utter rubbish. You should be ashamed of your self. Do better.
Let's settle this. I got plenty of DI-water, a couple of jars, solder wire and what other metal should I use?
Perhaps this should be a thread on its own..
I don't know nuthin' about nuthin', but I found this:
https://dl.asminternational.org/istfa/proceedings-abstract/ISTFA1999/30835/141/9030
Abstract
Very highly purified water such as De-ionized (DI) water tends to become very corrosive once exposed to the atmosphere. This “Hungry Water” as known in the water purification world is known to be a major source of corrosion [1]. The DI water was responsible for corrosion of tin during autoclave (pressure cooker) testing of Integrated Circuit (IC) devices assembled in plastic Quad Flat Package (QFP) with fine pitch leads. The copper leads of these packages are plated with solder. The copper leads of the packages are plated with solder composed of Lead and Tin. Due to the effect of corrosive water, Tin from solder corroded during the autoclave testing and formed thin whiskers of solder. These whiskers created a leakage path between the leads causing the devices to fail for pin to pin leakage.
This argument is missing the point. A claim that di-water is very corrosive is like air is very corrosive. CO2 and oxygen for sure are more corrosive than nitrogen.
So di-water is more corrosive than what? Tap water? IPA?
I believe di-water could be concern if it stays in contact with air, absorbing CO2. Like rain water.
That some info with substance, thanks. A few points:
- tends to become very corrosive once exposed to the atmosphere
What happens, chemical reaction with, or absorption of, oxygen, nitrogen? - during autoclave (pressure cooker) testing
OP surely isn't going to pressure cook the PCB. - plated with solder composed of Lead and Tin
formed thin whiskers of solder
I'm surprised this happened with Leaded solder.
I got two kinds of solder where lead is the difference. I will use two jars with DI and put solder wire in them, park them where it's warm to accelerate the effect (no pressure cooker here). Lets add a jar with copper as well.
According to Deionized Water vs Distilled: Here's the Main Differences DI water is very reactive in that it can leach minerals out of materials it comes in contact with, has variable pH but close to 7 (neutral), less corrosive than regular water.
Keep and use the DI water in a moderate vacuum to reduce absorption of atmospheric oxidants, acids and bases, dry the part well and you will be fine.
Edit:
I've moved my post to the other topic, as I think it was more appropriate there.