NIR SPECTROSCOPY TO EXPLORE WATER STRUCTURE MODIFICATION INDUCED BY FILTRATION PROCESSES

Studies on very diluted solutions (i.e. containing solutes in concentration below 10-7 M) and pure water subjected to physical treatments have recently highlighted that the structure of water is still an open research field. Although it is well known that the formation of hydrogen bonds is responsible of the great part of peculiar properties of water, as its very high boiling point or its density variation with temperature, results, different from expected, obtained on extremely dilute solutions, perturbed by mechanical treatments and analyzed with calorimetric technique and the formation of nanoclusters obtained by evaporation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure of solutions of NaCl in concentration 10-7 M highlight that not all that concern water is yet clear.In the last years, Near InfraRed (NIR) spectroscopy has been applied to monitor changes in water structure induced by solutes and/or temperature variation with a so great success to suggest the creation of a new research field called Aquaphotomics. So, this technique seems to be the most accredited to approach the study the formation of nanostructures in water. The present study was focused on the study of variations induced by filtration process on pure water analyzed by chemometric analysis of NIR spectra corresponding to the different conditions. In fact, it has been observed that conductivity varies more than expected by sole natural contamination level of distilled water produced by its contact with the ambient atmosphere, and it may be ascribed to the formation of aqueous nanostructures. This hypothesis has been yet recently suggested by the Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier to explain the effects observed on water undergone filtration and sterilization processes, and by Vittorio Elia who suggested the formation of dissipative structures.