Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I’m just wondering if I could use purified water such as bottled water instead of distilled. Would it have any detrimental effects if I did so?
Thank you.

Hi - "purified" bottled drinking water can still have minerals and other contaminants that make the water electrically conductive. Distilled water is extremely pure and has very low electrical conductivity, so you need distilled water for this project to work. You should be able to purchase a jug of it at a grocery store.