How do I Obtain Water From Oil, Vinegar & Milk?

You can extract water from any fluid.

Any liquid contains some amount of water. If you are teaching students about states of matter, it can be exciting to demonstrate this to them by creating a solar still. A solar still will allow the fresh water to be caught as it evaporates from the liquid. With a solar still, you can pull the fresh water out of any liquid, such as milk, vinegar or even oil.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Bowl
• Rock
• Salt
• Spoon
• Glass
• Tape

Instructions

1. Pour 2 inches of milk, vinegar or oil into a bowl.

2. Place a short glass into the center of the bowl with the opening facing up. Make sure that the glass is shorter than the bowl.

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

4. Place a small rock into the center of the plastic wrap. This will cause the plastic wrap to lean in towards the opening of the glass.

5. Place the covered bowl into direct sunlight. When the bowl heats, the water from the liquid will begin to evaporate. This evaporated water vapor will be caught by the plastic wrap, and will fall into the glass as fresh water.

References

• PBS Kids: Solar Still
• Solaqua: Solar Stillm