Meaning & use
deionization
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalchemistry
The process of removing ions from a solution, especially from water, so that it no longer conducts electricity well.
Grammar: Uncountable; it names a process, so it is not used with 'a' or a plural: 'deionization removes ions'.
Patterns
- deionization of water
- deionization process
- water deionization
The lab uses deionization to prepare water for sensitive chemical tests.
Deionization removes dissolved mineral ions from the water supply.
After deionization, the water has very low electrical conductivity.
noununcountabletechnicalchemistry
A state in which ions have been removed or neutralized, often created by an electric current or a resin.
Grammar: Uncountable; it refers to the resulting condition rather than a countable object.
Patterns
- complete deionization
- degree of deionization
Complete deionization of the sample took several hours.
The meter shows the degree of deionization in the treated water.
Common combinations
- deionized water
- The technician rinsed the glassware with deionized water.
- water deionization system
- The factory installed a water deionization system to reduce scale.
- deionization resin
- The deionization resin must be replaced when it becomes exhausted.
- deionization process
- The deionization process removes both positive and negative ions.
Synonyms and how they differ
- demineralization
- Similar but broader: it means removing minerals, while deionization specifically targets ions.
- ion exchange
- A method often used to achieve deionization, but it names the technique rather than the result.
Opposites
Word family
- deionize verb
- To remove ions from a substance.
- deionized adjective
- Having had ions removed, as in deionized water.
- deionizer noun
- A device or substance that removes ions.
Commonly confused: deionization or ionization? deionization or desalination?
deionization vs ionization
Ionization is the opposite process: it creates ions, while deionization removes them.
deionization vs desalination
Desalination removes salt from seawater; deionization removes ions more generally, often from already fairly pure water.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'deionization' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Deionization removes ions, so option A fits. Option B describes the opposite (ionization), and options C and D describe unrelated changes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deionization”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.