What a Difference an Atom Makes

To build the perfect water purifier, remove one atom from a cluster of aluminum oxide, and replace it with an atom of gallium. Simple!

In fact, the process really isn't as complex as it sounds. According to a Newswise article, the substitution isn’t performed atom by atom using nanoscopic tweezers but rather by a simple chemical process of dissolving aluminum salts in water, gallium salts into a sodium hydroxide solution and then slowly adding the sodium hydroxide solution to the aluminum solution while heating

The new substance, called a coagulant, attracts impurities to itself with an electrostatic charge. The impurities can then be separated from the water, leaving clean, pure H20 behind.

Coagulants as water purifiers aren't a new idea. What makes this particular coagulant special is its ability to stand up to the pressures of heat, long-term storage, and the very different chemistry of water from around the world. Created by researchers at Sandia Laboratories, it's now awaiting a patent.

Why is a better water purifier so important? As water resources are overused, contaminated, or diverted for energy, people and animals wind up drinking water that contains a whole range of toxins.

Of course, contaminated drinking water is an issue in developing countries — but it has also become a problem right here in the United States. Water purifiers can quickly and easily remove most bacterial, viral and other organic and inorganic contaminants, whether from filthy rivers in Africa, or from equally filthy water treatment plants in America's heartland.